AIN ALAQ, Lebanon, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Bombs exploded on two buses in a Christian area of Lebanon on Tuesday, killing at least three people and wounding 20 on the eve of the second anniversary of the killing of ex-Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

The anti-Syrian coalition that dominates government and has a majority in parliament blamed Syria for the attack and demanded the deployment of international troops on the border with Syria to stop the smuggling of weapons.

Government sources said most of the casualties were on public buses carrying people to work in Beirut from Ain Alaq village near Bikfaya, home town of former president Amin Gemayel whose son was assassinated by gunmen in November.

The blasts wrecked the buses and other vehicles on a mountain road about 24 km (15 miles) northeast of Beirut. Pools of blood lay near a minibus which had its roof torn off.

When the first bomb exploded, the driver of the second bus stopped and got out. His own bus then blew up, witnesses said.

A police spokesman said the report of three deaths was preliminary and the toll could rise. It was not known why that area was targeted and no group claimed responsibility.

Tension has been running high in Lebanon since street clashes last month between supporters and opponents of the Western-backed government in which nine people were killed.

The U.S. embassy in Beirut said in a statement: "The attack can only be seen as an attempt to silence and intimidate those determined to realise their vision of a sovereign, independent and democratic Lebanon."

Pro-government groups had planned a mass rally in Beirut's Martyrs Square on Wednesday to mark Hariri's killing, despite fears of friction with opposition supporters camped nearby since Dec. 1 in a campaign to topple the government.

ANNIVERSARY GATHERING

Hariri's son, Saad, the leader of the majority anti-Syrian coalition, said the memorial would go ahead as planned. The bombings showed the need for the U.N.-backed tribunal to try suspects in his father's killing and other attacks, he said.

"The (anti-Syrian coalition) holds the Syrian regime completely responsible for this heinous crime and accuses this regime ... of trying to transform Lebanon into a second Iraq," the March 14 coalition said in a statement.

It also asked the U.N. probe into previous attacks to investigate the bombings and urged the opposition to accept the tribunal immediately.

The opposition, led by Hezbollah, is holding back from endorsing the tribunal, saying it wants to make sure that it cannot be used as a political tool. Various opposition leaders condemned Tuesday's twin attack, calling for a swift end to the political crisis.

Lebanon has witnessed 15 attacks on politicians, journalists and public places since Hariri's slaying on Feb. 14, 2005.

Many Lebanese blame the attacks on Syria which denies any role in them. Government loyalists say the opposition wants to block the tribunal to protect Damascus.

The attacks were the first since the assassination of Gemayel, industry minister in Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government and there had been signs a deal was in the works to end the political crisis.

"Every time the possibility of practical solutions looms on the horizon between the Lebanese factions to strengthen their unity, the enemies of Lebanon rush to commit a new crime against innocents," pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud said.

The United Nations, EU president Germany, France, Britain and Egypt all condemned the attacks.

"The secretary-general (of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon) stresses that there must be an end to impunity and appeals to all Lebanese to maintain national unity in the face of such attempts to undermine the country's stability," a U.N. statement said. (Additional reporting by Beirut and U.N. bureaux)

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