TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Two separate explosions outside mosques in the northern city of Tripoli after Friday prayers killed at least nine people and wounded dozens, security sources said.
The sources said the casualty toll was expected to rise sharply.
The first blast occurred near the Taqwa Mosque at 1.30 p.m. where Salafist Sheikh Salem al-Rafi, a staunch opponent of Syrian President Bashar Assad, was delivering a sermon.
His fate is unknown.
Minutes later a second blast rocked Maarad Street, near the Salam Mosque.
Both explosions occurred as hundreds finished Friday prayers and exited the religious sites.
Thick plumes of black smoke blanketed Tripoli’s sky, as emergency response units rushed to the scene of the explosions.
