U.S. embassy limits staff movement after Beirut bomb

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Lebanon has restricted its staff movements and urged Americans to avoid popular areas, a day after a bomb damaged a U.S. diplomatic car and killed three people in a Christian suburb north of Beirut.

The bomb blast coincided with President George W. Bush's week-long tour to the Middle East and political conflict in Lebanon between the U.S.-backed governing coalition and the Damascus-backed opposition.

"The Embassy ... reminds all Americans residing in Lebanon to maintain a high level of vigilance, especially when planning travel," the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon said on its Web site in a statement dated on Tuesday.

"Americans are also advised to avoid popular gathering spots and to report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement officials," it said, adding limits had been imposed on embassy personnel's movements.

The attack, a 20-minute drive from the heavily fortified U.S. embassy, revived memories of attacks on U.S. personnel in Lebanon during the 1975-1990 civil war.

On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said it appeared that the U.S. embassy car had been the intended target of the attack.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States did not know who was responsible but "preliminary evidence would indicate that it (the car) was targeted".

A joint diplomatic and security team, including the FBI, was travelling to the area on Wednesday to investigate, he added.

In Beirut, security sources said investigators were draining water from a blast crater to find remnants of Tuesday's bomb, which also wounded 16 people, including an embassy driver.