Lebanon Puts Army on Alert for Violence

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Lebanon Puts Army on Alert for Violence

Middle East - AP


BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon plunged into deep mourning and put its army on alert against violence Tuesday, a day after a massive bomb killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and raised fears that Lebanon might revert to the political violence of its 1975-90 civil war.
Schools, banks and shops were closed and the streets of the capital were virtually empty on Tuesday as the Lebanon started three days of mourning. Soldiers were deployed at some intersections, the armed forces were put on full alert and troops' leave was canceled.


Police raised the toll from Monday's bombing in downtown Beirut by one to 14 dead and about 120 injured.


TV stations and radios played somber music or readings from the Quran, Islam's holy book, as the country prepared to bury Hariri in a funeral on Wednesday at a downtown Beirut mosque.


At the site of the bombing, troops clamped a cordon around the area. Explosive experts combed rooftops and the street in search of evidence that could reveal what caused the explosion. Security officials have not confirmed initial reports that said the blast was caused by a car bomb.


It was unclear if the assassination would delay parliamentary elections that are expected in April and May. In the morning before his death, Hariri had attended a parliamentary debate on a bill to redefine the electoral districts.


The dead included Hariri and seven of his bodyguards, crushed and burned in their heavily armored cars by the force of the blast, which police estimated at about 660 pounds of TNT.


Former Economy Minister Bassel Fleihan, a member of parliament in Hariri's bloc, was among those severely wounded. He was flown to France on Monday for treatment.


In buildings near the blast, residents swept up the debris on their balconies Tuesday. At the HSBC bank, workers cleared glass shards and blinds, throwing them down to the street.


The bomb that hit Hariri's motorcade, ironically, was in the very downtown district he helped to rebuild.


Hariri, 60, resigned as prime minister in October, having led the government for 10 of the 14 years since the end of the civil war.


A billionaire businessman who made his fortune in construction in Saudi Arabia, Hariri was a symbol of Lebanon's rebirth. Under his governments, European investment and tourists returned to Lebanon.


He had the wealth and prominence to maintain a degree of independence from Syria, which stations about 15,000 troops in Lebanon and is the effective power broker. After leaving office, Hariri moved toward the opposition that has long pushed for an end to Syrian interference in Lebanon. His death deprives the political scene of an influential voice of moderation and skillful builder of coalitions.


While some feared a return to the sectarian conflict of the civil war years, others pointed out that the current national debate — over Syria's role in Lebanon — cuts across religious lines. Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, had many allies in the Christian camp.


Condemnation and expressions of shock came from around the Arab world and beyond. Lebanon's opposition accused Syria, the main power broker in this country, and its allied Lebanese government of being behind the assassination and demanded the Syrian army withdraw from Lebanon. Syria condemned the killing and dismissed the claims.


The United States called the attack "a terrible reminder" that Lebanon still must shake free of occupation by Syria — the neighbor that keeps 15,000 troops here and influences virtually all key political decisions.


President Jacques Chirac of France, a friend of Hariri, demanded an international investigation, saying Hariri represented "the indefatigable will of independence, freedom and democracy" for Lebanon.





Also in France, Lebanon's most prominent exile, former army commander Gen. Michel Aoun, said Tuesday that he suspects Syria was behind the assassination.

The Syrians "totally control the country," Aoun said on France-Info radio. "Nothing moves without it being controlled by the Syrians."

There have been no credible claims of responsibility. A previously unknown group, Support and Jihad in Syria and Lebanon, claimed in a video broadcast on Al-Jazeera television that it had carried out the bombing, saying it was a suicide operation.

Security officials have not said the blast was the work of a suicide bomber. Late Monday, police raided the west Beirut home of Ahmed Abu Adas, the Palestinian who allegedly appeared in the video. He had fled, but police confiscated computers, tapes and documents, the Interior Ministry said.

One statement posted on an Islamic Web site claimed responsibility for the bombing, but another Web statement denied that Islamic militants were involved.

Justice Minister Adnan Addoum said responsibility claims could be an attempt "to mislead the investigation."