Bomb kills two in north Lebanon city of Tripoli

A bomb killed two people and wounded 17 at an apartment block in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli on Saturday, medical and security sources said.

The blast around dawn struck the building in the Bab Tibbaneh area, close to the frontline of clashes on Sunday between Sunni supporters of the government and Alawite followers of the opposition and which killed nine people.

Rescue workers picked through debris left by the blast and ferried the wounded to hospital.

Tripoli is dominated by Lebanon's anti-Syrian, Sunni-led majority coalition. The Alawites, whose faith is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, have close ties to Syria and the Lebanese opposition, which is led by the Shi'ite Hezbollah group.

A Qatari-mediated accord in May ended 18 months of political conflict between the governing coalition and the opposition.

The standoff led to a violent showdown that threatened a new civil war. Since then there have been frequent minor security incidents.

The deal which ended the political crisis included an agreement on a national unity government in which the opposition is guaranteed effective veto power. But wrangling over portfolios has held up the formation of the new cabinet.