DUSHANBE, October 20, 2012, Asia-Plus – International media sources report that anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon have accused Damascus of being behind a powerful car bomb that killed the head of Lebanon”s internal intelligence.
According to the BBC, opposition leader Saad Hariri and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt both said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was behind the bombing in Beirut. A Syrian minister condemned the blast.
Mr. Hariri”s coalition called on the government to resign.
Friday”s blast left eight people dead and wounded dozens.
It occurred in the mainly Christian district of Ashrafiya, in a busy street close to the headquarters of Saad Hariri”s March 14 coalition.
Internal intelligence head Wissam al-Hassan was among those who died. He was close to Mr. Hariri, a leading critic of the government in neighboring Syria. Mr. Hassan led an investigation that implicated Damascus in the 2005 bombing that killed Mr. Hariri”s father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. He also recently organized the arrest of a former minister accused of planning a Syrian-sponsored bombing campaign in Lebanon.
Lebanon”s religious communities are divided between those who support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – including many Shias – and those mostly from the Sunni community who back the rebels.
The New York Times notes that General Hassan, a Sunni Muslim, was known for his close ties to fellow Sunni politicians who support the Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. General Hassan was reportedly viewed by Syrian opposition activists as an ally and protector.
Tension in Lebanon has been rising as a result of the Syrian conflict. Anti-Syrian protesters burned tires during demonstrations in Beirut and Tripoli late on Friday.
The force of Friday”s blast, the worst in the Lebanese capital for four years, reportedly ripped balconies from the fronts of buildings and set many cars on fire.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the government was trying to identify the perpetrators and they would be punished.
Speaking shortly after the bombing, Lebanon”s Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told Reuters that his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi had condemned the bombing and planned to visit Beirut on Saturday.
Lebanon”s Shia militant group Hezbollah – a close ally of the Syrian government – condemned the bombing.
Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi called it a “cowardly, terrorist act”. He said such incidents were “unjustifiable wherever they occur.”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on “all Lebanese parties not to be provoked by this heinous terrorist act”, while EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called on “all Lebanese to remain calm,” the BBC reports.
Reuters reports that the U.S. government also condemned the bombing and reiterated its concerns about increasing sectarian tensions in Lebanon and a spillover from Syria.
