An explosion damaged part of the British Council building in Beirut in the early hours of this morning. One source claims that a small bomb weighing about 400 grams, was placed on one of the building's walls.
Police said the explosion caused only light damage. They have begun an investigation.
Security sources, however, said that an unknown assailant had thrown a stick of dynamite at the British building, located in the Ras Beirut district in the west of the Lebanese capital.
There was a small explosion in the wall outside the British Council. There was a little damage in the wall outside, but no-one was hurt, a British embassy official said.
A Reuters photographer said the blast left a small hole in the pavement and smoke had blackened the walls.
Tuesday morning's attack was the first on British assets in Lebanon since the two countries began their invasion of Iraq.
Several heated demonstrations have taken place near the US and British embassies in Lebanon to protest against the US-led war that began five days ago. Some of the demonstrations have led to clashes with security forces.
Security has been boosted around the two embassies, as well as around those of Gulf Arab countries which are hosting US and British military forces which are attacking Iraq, particularly Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
A bomb has also been thrown at Britain's honorary consulate in the port city of Guayaquil in Ecuador in what may be a possible protest against the war in Iraq, officials said today.
The explosive, which caused little damage, was thrown at Britain's honorary consular offices at about 0430 GMT Monday, a spokesman at the British embassy in Quito told Reuters. No one was injured in the blast. An investigation is underway.
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