2 killed in blasts in eastern Lebanon

BEIRUT -- At least three explosions ripped through a house in a Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, killing two people and wounding two others, a senior Lebanese security official said.

The cause of the explosions near the city of Baalbek was not immediately clear, but the official said the nature of the blasts suggests there were explosives or weapons stored inside the building.

He said the force of the blasts destroyed the house, which appeared to be under construction. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.

Baalbek is located in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. It's a stronghold of the militant Shiite Hezbollah group, but there are large numbers of criminals known to operate in the area, which is a center of arms and drug smuggling.

Soldiers and Hezbollah members cordoned off the area, blocking access to journalists.

Explosions at a weapons depots belonging to Hezbollah are not uncommon in Lebanon. The group, which fought Israel to a stalemate in a monthlong war in 2006, maintains a formidable arsenal that rivals that of the Lebanese army.