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Lebanese soldiers securing site of explosion in Baabda, east of Beirut, where a senior army officer was among those killed. (Reuters) Last update - 16:31 12/12/2007 Top Lebanese army general, four others killed in blast near Beirut By Reuters Tags: Beirut  An early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon's top military generals and at least four others Wednesday as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country's delicate political situation, the military and state media said. The military said Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, head of military operations in the army command, was killed in the explosion along with several other soldiers. His name had been mentioned as a candidate to succeed army commander Michel Suleiman, if the latter is elected president. The blast is the first attack of its kind against the Lebanese army which is seen as the one force that can hold the country together as increasingly acrimonious relations between parliament's rival factions over the past several months have paralyzed the government. Advertisement "This morning, the criminal hand targeted head of army operations Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj with a bomb as he drove in his car opposite Baabda municipality, which led to his death along with a number of soldiers, and wounded others," an official military statement said. The army sealed off the area and has started investigating, the statement added. The slaying of Hajj and its timing amid the deadlock over the presidency raised immediate speculation over who was behind the bombing, which blasted Hajj's SUV as he drove through a busy street of Baabda district. Anti-Syrian politicians blamed Damascus, as they have for a string of bombings over the past two years that killed eight prominent opponents of Syria. Damascus has denied any role in those killings. Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, speaking to Associated Press Television News, accused the Syrian-Iranian axis of hitting the military, the only body in Lebanon who can balance the power of Hezbollah and other militias in the country. But the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah, which has good relations with the army, denounced the assassination. It called Hajj's death a great national loss and praised the military's great national role in preserving security. The main Christian opposition leader, Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah, told reporters that he had supported Hajj to succeed Suleiman as army commander. Aoun, a former head of the military, praised Hajj and said it was shameful for political forces to take advantage of the crime, a reference to the anti-Syrian groups. Syria, in turn, blamed Israel, accusing it of targeting the military for its anti-Israel doctrine. An unidentified Syrian official, quoted by the state news agency SANA, said "Hajj nurtures the resistance (Hezbollah) and has worked for a united Lebanon and rejected division." France, Lebanon's former ruler which has been mediating the political crisis, denounced the attack, so did the European Union. Suspicion also fell on al-Qaida-inspired Sunni Muslim militants, whom the army crushed at the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared in northern Lebanon in an operation led by Hajj, a battle that cost hundreds of lives. Hikmat Deeb, a leading member of Aoun's opposition Free Patriotic Movement, said Hajj was a hero of Nahr el-Bared, suggesting the battle there was a factor in the assassination. The military refrained from laying blame, saying in a statement that the criminal hand killed Hajj, along with a number of soldiers, and wounded others. It said the military was investigating. The explosion occurred at 7:10 a.m. on a busy street near Baabda Municipality as school buses and people were setting off for work. Security officials said Hajj, who lives in the area, had left his home few minutes earlier, probably heading to the nearby Defense Ministry, when the blast detonated near his car, killing him and his bodyguard immediately. The officials said later that his driver was among those killed too. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with military rules, said the blast came from a car bomb. The explosion destroyed cars and caused heavy damage in the area, which also houses foreign embassies. "The latest criminal explosion ... is a link in the terrorist chain directed at Lebanon and its institutions, foremost among them the national army, which today pays the price for defending Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and free will," majority leader Saad al-Hariri said in a statement. Hezbollah urged the Lebanese to "unite and rally around the army and its national role and to work seriously and effectively towards political consensus". The last major explosion on Sept. 19 killed anti-Syrian lawmaker Antoine Ghanem on a Beirut street, an attack blamed by his supporters in the government coalition on Syria. Syria denied involvement. The explosion occurred two years to the day to a bombing that killed prominent journalist Gebran Tueni in a car bombing his supporters had blamed on Syria. Lebanon has been rocked by a series of explosion since a massive truck bombing killed former Premier Rafik Hariri in 2005 in central Beirut. Related articles: Syria denies plotting assassination of anti-Syrian Lebanese politician Security Council 'unequivocally condemns' Gemayel assassination Chronology of events in Lebanon since Hariri assassination Bookmark to del.icio.us   What's up, doc? Hamas airs television show featuring 'Jew-eating' Bugs Bunny look-alikes. Gaza Trip Livni takes 70 ambassadors on a visit to the Gaza Strip as part of diplomatic campaign.   1.   Evil Hezbolla 08:41  |  Khaled 12/12/07   2.   here we go again 08:48  |  fadi 12/12/07   3.   the innevitable face\fate of the `ONE state solution` 09:35  |  josef cohen 12/12/07   4.   We feel sad for Lebanon, hurted more from Syria than from Israel 09:37  |  Alain 12/12/07   5.   Civil War 09:49  |  Niall 12/12/07   6.   Hundreds dead????? Where is the international outcry?? Where are 11:19  |  SLAVO 12/12/07   7.   It is in Israel`s best interest 13:37  |  Paul Wood 12/12/07   8.   Israel Bombing Again? 13:59  |  POP 12/12/07   9.   To Khaled #1 14:13  |  dovale 12/12/07   10.   #1 Khaled 14:49  |  Boycott 12/12/07   11.   The Butchers are butchering again 15:28  |  Brod 12/12/07   12.   Paul Wood 15:35  |  rich 12/12/07   13.   to Evil Khaled 15:50  |  Dina 12/12/07   14.   to Paul 15:53  |  Dina 12/12/07   15.   @Boycott 16:01  |  Civilized 12/12/07   16.   Boycott i`ll tell you who gains! 16:49  |  Kamal 12/12/07   17.   Although... 16:51  |  kamal 12/12/07   18.   IT WAS ME....... 17:23  |  Pier 12/12/07   19.   Where`s the judge? 17:47  |  Lebanese 12/12/07   20.   #8 and #10...typical garbage! 18:10  |  DR 12/12/07   21.   Lebanese just want peace... 18:10  |  Beiruti 12/12/07   22.   The tragedy of Lebanon 18:18  |  Brod 12/12/07   23.   Anything goes if it`s against Israel for boycott & pop 18:47  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 12/12/07   24.   Mohamedan Obsessed of bombings 06:27  |  cristo 13/12/07   25.   Nr 14-Dina, where are you from, post your state 06:33  |  cristo 13/12/07   26.   lebanese general`s death 17:27  |  elliot 13/12/07   27.   We feel sad for Lebanon 11:10  |  Sad for Lebanon 14/12/07   28.   Clickfool did this one 15:17  |  leo 13/02/08

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