Lebanese civil defence personnel evacuate a woman and her child after an explosion in Ashrafiyeh area in east Beirut May 20, 2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

BEIRUT, May 20 (Xinhua) -- A bomb planted under a car bomb in central Beirut's Christian neighborhood exploded late Sunday, killing one woman and wounding a dozen other people.

    The explosive device, which was placed under a car in a parking lot near an upscale shopping mall in Achrafye, destroyed dozens of cars and sent black smoke billowing over the area.

    Lebanese troops cordoned off the area where the blast shattered every window in the six-floor shopping mall and within 150 meters.

    The explosion, that came hours after more than 40 people were killed in fighting between the Lebanese army and militants in the northern city of Tripoli, aroused fears of instability in the country, which is still reeling from the wounds of last year's Israeli-Hezbollah war.

    Some witnesses said that the incident might have been caused by the country's pro-Syrian opposition, some Christians even pointed the finger at Syria, saying the incident is part of the effort to block the progress on the establishment of an international tribunal to try the suspects in former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's killing.

    On Monday Prime Minister Fouad Seniora sent a letter to the United Nations urging the establishment of the international tribunal. One day later, President Emile Lahoud warned that a unilateral Security Council decision on the issue would cause instability in the country.

    Lebanon is facing its worst crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war, being locked in a political impasse arising from the power struggle between the anti-Syrian bloc and the pro-Syrian opposition.

    Anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon have blamed Syria for Hariri's killing in Beirut in February 2005. Syria has denied any involvement.

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