In brief: Hezbollah stronghold bombed in Lebanon

BEIRUT – A car bomb struck a stronghold of the Shiite militant Hezbollah group in eastern Lebanon early today, causing a number of casualties, Lebanon’s state-run news agency said.

A Lebanese official and the group’s Al-Manar TV confirmed the blast and said it occurred near the remote village of Sbouba in the Baalbek region, but there was no immediate word on the nature of the explosion or the target. The TV station owned by Hezbollah said there were no casualties.

The explosion appears to be part of a wave of attacks on Hezbollah strongholds and interests in Lebanon. The group is fighting in Syria alongside President Bashar Assad’s troops and has received threats of retaliation from the largely Sunni rebels fighting to topple him.

Students clash with security

CAIRO – Egyptian security forces fought pitched street battles with dozens of university students outside their Cairo campus Monday, firing tear gas to disperse rock-throwing protesters and prevent their rally from reaching the nearby defense ministry.

Security officials said 25 students were arrested for blocking traffic. A security official said one was carrying shotgun ammunition and a tear gas canister, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

Dozens of students pelted the forces with rocks, some picking up tear gas canisters and lobbing them back. Students, some wearing face masks, used metal bars and garbage cans to build barricades.