BAALBEK, LEBANON (AFP) - A car bomb killed at least three people on Saturday near a petrol station in eastern Lebanon's town of Hermel, a stronghold of the Shi'ite movement Hezbollah.

"There are at least three dead, but we don't know if it was a suicide attack," a military source told AFP. A security source said at least 10 people were wounded, adding the explosion sparked a huge blaze that hindered the arrival of emergency services.

It was the second blast in less than a month to hit the town, which is close to the border with war-ravaged Syria. On Jan 16, a car bombing outside the main government administration building in Hermel killed three people.

The attack was the seventh to hit Hezbollah strongholds since the group said it sent men to Syria to fight alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops against mainly Sunni rebel groups.