Lebanese security officials says explosion has struck Shiite neighborhood in southern Beirut

BEIRUT – Lebanese security officials say an explosion has hit a Shiite-dominated neighborhood in southern Beirut, setting fire to a building and sending plumes of smoke over the area.

The officials say Tuesday's blast in Haret Hreik district took place meters (yards) away from where a car bomb struck earlier this month, killing five people.

The officials say it was not immediately clear what caused the explosion nor if there are any casualties.

The Lebanese television station al-Manar is broadcasting footage from the blast site, showing hundreds of people flocking to the area as ambulances rush to the location.

The bombing is the latest in a series of attacks targeting Shiites in Lebanon, apparently in retaliation for the militant Hezbollah group's fighting in Syria on the side of President Bashar Assad's troops.