BEIRUT - The Lebanese army warned Saturday against "further provocations" and vowed to crack down on anyone seeking to destabilize the country after an overnight bomb blast wounded 11 people here.
"The army command warns against further provocation or attacks on security by any means," the military said in a statement carried by the official ANI news agency.
It said the army had taken "appropriate measures aimed at firmly pursuing anyone who threatens security or provokes the people."
The statement added that "political tension gave a disproportionate importance" to the blast, caused by a bomb that exploded beneath a vehicle in a Christian suburb, and said the army would not allow anyone "to exploit a climate of freedom to destabilize the situation."
The explosion occurred at moment of political friction in Lebanon between the pro-Syrian administration and the country's anti-Syrian opposition, which intensified after the February 14 assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
03/19/2005 13:40 GMT