An explosion at a gas station in the Lebanese town of Hermel left at least three people dead on Saturday, according to security officials. The car bombing occurred in a region which lies close to the Syrian border and which is considered a stronghold of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

More than 10 were wounded in the explosion, which caused a huge blaze at the site.

The al-Nusra Front in Lebanon claimed responsibility for the blast, which it said was its "second attack on the Iranian group [Hezbollah]."

"This proves Hezbollah's weakness," said the al Qaeda-linked organization's statement, which was carried by Lebanese media.

Saturday's bombing qas the second such attack in Hermel in less than a month.

In mid-January, a suicide car bombing left three people dead and dozens injured. The al Qaeda-linked group al-Nusra Front later claimed responsibility for the deadly blast. It said it had carried out the attack in response to Hezbollah's "crimes against children, women and Sunni [Muslims] in Syria."

Violence along sectarian lines has increased in Lebanon since last spring, when Hezbollah began sending fighters to bolster Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military forces as they battle against opposition rebels, which are comprised primarily of Sunni Muslims.

kms/jr (AP, AFP, Reuters)