The blasts occurred in Corniche al-Mazraa, an area that was the scene of violent sectarian clashes in May, during fierce fighting between political rivals that killed 65 people and sent Lebanon to the brink of civil war.

Windows in shops and cars were shattered in the majority Sunni Muslim area, but no injuries reported.

Two similar bombs were defused by the Lebanese army near a church in the village of Lassa, north of Beirut, the security official told AFP.

Security concerns are running high in Lebanon ahead of national reconciliation talks between rival political leaders on Tuesday, following the killing of a pro-Syrian politician in a car bombing on Wednesday.

The national dialogue, being chaired by President Michel Sleiman, is expected to focus on the divisive issue of weapons held by the powerful Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah.

Controversy over Hezbollah's arsenal intensified after its fighters captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid in July 2006, sparking a deadly 34-day war that devastated Lebanon.

It boiled over again in May when Hezbollah staged an armed takeover of large swathes of predominantly Sunni west Beirut in the worst fighting since the 1975-1990 civil war.

The Western-backed ruling bloc in parliament maintains that the state should have the sole authority in taking decisions on war and peace but Hezbollah insists it has the right to resist Israel. -AFP