SARAFAND, Lebanon: An explosion ripped through a liquor store in Sarafand, south Lebanon early Thursday morning, causing damage but no casualties, the third attack targeting places that sell alcohol since November.

Security sources told The Daily Star the bomb, consisting of 500 grams of TNT, targeted Ali Ahmad Hamdan's store in Sarafand, on the highway between the southern coastal cities of Sidon and Tyre.

The explosion, which occurred at 2:20 a.m., inflicted heavy damage to the store and shattered windows in five nearby shops.

The attack is the third in as many months that have targeted places serving alcohol in the south. Last month, Tyros restaurant in Tyre was targeted while in November the city’s Queen Elissa Hotel and a nearby liquor store were the victims of a twin bomb attack.

"This is a crime [wave]. It started in Tyre and now spread to Sarafand," Hamdan, the shop owner, told The Daily Star at the scene of the blast.

"I will reopen soon after the damage has been repaired," he added.

Hamdan did not accuse any group of being behind the blast, but called on Lebanese authorities to investigate the bomb attack and find the culprits as soon as possible.