BEIRUT - Waving flags, holding balloons and even praying, tens of thousands of Lebanese packed into a city square Wednesday to mark the second anniversary of former prime minister Rafik Hariri's assassination.

The government deployed hundreds of troops to deter violence, a day after two bus bombings killed three people in a Christian area northeast of Beirut.

The country's long-running power struggle focused on Martyrs' Square, where a mass of government supporters gathered next to Hariri's grave and a much smaller number of opposition supporters camped in tents to demand the government's resignation.

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Backed by armored cars, soldiers erected a razor wire barrier to separate the two groups. Police conducted body searches as people arrived at the square.

The government hoped a large turnout would strengthen its position against the Hezbollah-led opposition. To enable a big attendance, it declared Wednesday a national holiday, closing schools, universities, banks and public institutions.

The opposition made clear it wanted the anniversary to pass without the violence that marred last month's demonstrations. In a a letter published on the front page of As-Safir newspaper Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah praised Rafik Hariri, saying his killing by a massive truck bomb on February 14, 2005, was a loss for the whole country.

Hariri was Lebanon's most prominent politician and was credited with rebuilding the country from the destruction of the 1975-90 civil war.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, a longtime confidant of Hariri, arrived early in Martyrs Square on Wednesday, and prayed at Hariri's grave, which lies at one side of the square. He was accompanied by his wife and several legislators.

Hariri's sister, Bahiya, and son, Saad, both lawmakers, came separately to the grave and prayed.

By late morning, the square was teeming with people waving the red-and-white national flag and political party flags. Many people held pictures of Hariri or balloons in the blue color of the Hariri faction in parliament, now led by his son, Saad.

Some demonstrators took turns to pray in front of the grave. Others climbed the square's statue, which commemorates Lebanese martyrs of the Ottoman era.

At exactly 12:55 P.M., the time of the fatal explosion, the crowd fell silent except for a muezzin making the Islamic call to prayer and the tolling of a church bell. Standing at the speaker's podium, Saad Hariri and his aunt Bahiya prayed.

On the other side of the razor wire, opposition supporters were noticeably low key in the tent village they have been sleeping in for months. Mainly supporters of Hezbollah, the government opponents walked around to warm up under the sun.

Tuesday's explosions on commuter buses on a busy mountain highway stoked fears of turmoil. Lebanon has suffered a series of bombings during the past two years, mostly targeting anti-Syrian figures, but Tuesday's attacks were the first that seemed intended to cause maximum casualties among civilians of no political affiliation.

"We will hunt down the criminals and confront them," Siniora vowed in a televised speech Tuesday evening.

The United Nations Security Council condemned the bombing, urging all Lebanese parties to exercise restraint and stressing its support for the government.

The pro-government majority in parliament said it held the Syrian regime "fully responsible for this despicable crime." Syria routinely denies involvement in Lebanese unrest.

Government supporters said the blasts were intended to scare people away from Wednesday's commemoration. They urged their supporters to show up in large numbers.

The army deployed troops on highways to prevent friction between rival supporters as they approached the city center. Many roads were completely sealed off except for buses on designated routes which were expected to bring in government supporters from outlying areas.

Hariri and 22 others were killed in a huge explosion that occurred as his motorcade was passing through central Beirut. He was buried a few blocks away from the site. Outrage over the assassination forced Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon two months later, ending a 29-year presence.

A UN investigation into the assassination is proceeding, but Lebanon has been hit by a string of bombings in the past two years that many government supporters blame on Syria.

Syria has denied any role in the attacks, including the Hariri assassination.