A Syrian rights group says a bomb has exploded in Damascus, killing five people.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday the blast targeted the neighborhood of Qaboun, which has been the center of several protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

The blast came a day after activists said government forces stormed the village of Qastoun. An activist living in the central city of Hama told Reuters news agency that dozens of mortars had hit the village and caused casualties.

In Lebanon, hundreds of mourners fired into the air Monday at a raucous funeral for anti-Syrian cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Abdul-Wahid. His killing set off street battles in Beirut that left at least two people dead and more than a dozen wounded.

The Lebanese military says it is investigating the cleric's shooting.

The clashes in Beirut were the most serious unrest there since the Syrian uprising began 15 months ago. Fighting in northern Lebanon linked to the chaos in Syria also has killed eight people during the past week .

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the spread of violence into Lebanon is extremely worrisome, and the U.S. State Department urged all parties to exercise restraint.