BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) – A loud explosion was heard in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Saturday, and Arab TV stations cited security officials as saying it was caused by a bomb. There was no word on casualties.  The nature of the explosion was not immediately known, but witnesses said the blast, coming on the eve of the Easter holiday, occurred in the predominantly Christian northeastern Beirut suburb of Dekweneh. Other witnesses said the blast took place in the Bouchrieh-Dekweneh industrial zone area. Arab satellite stations Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera cited unidentified Lebanese security officials as saying the cause of the explosion was a bomb. Local LBC station said at least one building was on fire.

Ambulances were heard rushing to the scene and witnesses reported seeing a fire in the area of the explosion. A cloud of smoke was seen rising over the Dekweneh area.

Two bombs have rocked Christian areas in Lebanon in the past week, killing two people and injuring more than 10, sparking fears of the return of the sectarian violence that plagued Lebanon during the 1975-1990 civil war.

The explosions came amid major political turmoil in Lebanon in the wake of the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian troops to east Lebanon and Syria. Syrian troops have been in Lebanon since 1976.

Demonstrations and counter-demonstrations, although largely peaceful, have kept tensions high between the pro-Syrian and the anti-Syrian camps.