There have been large explosions in the mainly Christian area of Lebanon on Tuesday, as bombs packed with metal pellets exploded on the eve of the second anniversary of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination.

|PIC1|The devastation left at least three people dead and more than 20 wounded, initial reports have stated.

One senior politician has speculated that the blasts were meant to scare people away from a rally Wednesday to commemorate Hariri.

However, currently there were no plans to cancel the rally, organisers have said.

President Emile Lahoud spoke out against the explosions, saying they aimed to deepen the divide in the country.

Indicating a well-coordinated attack, one security official said the explosions went off minutes apart, and as people rushed to the scene of the first bombing, a second bus drove up and blew up.

"We ran away when the second explosion occurred for fear of more," said Genevieve Hayek, the owner of a nearby snack bar who is in her 70s. "May God's wrath fall on all of them who did this. What is the fault of the people just going to work?" according to AP.

The attack took place just after 9am south of the town of Bikfaya in the mainly Christian province of northern Metn, approximately 30 miles northeast of the Lebanese capital.

Police identified the dead as two men, one an Egyptian, and a woman.

Walid Jumblatt, said, "It's to terrorise people who are willing to come."

Nabil Nekoula, a lawmaker from the district said, "This is an act to undermine Lebanon, so that we might end up like Iraq, with strife and people leaving their country."

Edy Abilamaa, of the Christian Lebanese Forces pro-government faction, said the way the explosions took place clearly shows they aimed to "kill as many people as possible."