A bomb killed at least 18 people, including nine soldiers, as they boarded a bus in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli yesterday, security officials said.

The bomb, which also wounded at least 45 people, was the deadliest attack on the army since its battle with al-Qaida-inspired Islamist militants in the north last year.

It had been placed in a bag at a bus stop where soldiers usually gather, the army said.