Car bomb (illustration)
Car bomb (illustration)Thinkstock

At least 10 civilians were wounded on Wednesday after a homemade bomb was tossed under the al-Khanaq bridge in Lebanon's second largest city Tripoli, The Daily Star reports.

Heavy damage and blood was visible at the scene of the explosion. The wounded were transported to the nearby Al-Shifaa and Mazloum hospitals, according to the reports.

It is believed that the crude explosive device targeted a Lebanese Army patrol. A military source told The Daily Star that an army post is located approximately 30 meters away from the site of the explosion.

The explosion took place as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) gained a foothold Lebanon, where it is facing the Lebanese Army.

So far, the Lebanese Army has lost 13 of its soldiers in a costly battle with rebels to retake the north-eastern Sunni town of Arsal, located on the Syrian border.

ISIS, which now calls itself the Islamic State, announced the restoration of the caliphate last month by declaring its sovereignty over land it has seized in Syria and Iraq.

Lebanon has been the scene of sectarian clashes and bombings in recent years, mostly due to the conflict in neighboring Syria.

Hezbollah’s strongholds in Lebanon have been the targets of repeated attacks ever since the group acknowledged sending fighters into Syria to support President Bashar Al-Assad's troops as they battle rebels.

Tripoli, which is mainly Sunni, has been hit by several bombings already. Ongoing fighting in that city between rival militias supporting different sides in the Syrian civil war have killed scores more.