Blast deepens Lebanon anxieties

By Jim Muir
BBC News, Beirut

Although now regarded as more or less a suburb of Beirut, Baabda is really still a small Christian village, nestling in the hills overlooking the capital and coast.

The peace of Baabda was shattered by the vast explosion

But it is also home to the presidential palace, and the country's Defence Ministry headquarters is at nearby Yarzeh, just across the valley.

Many diplomats have their embassies and residences in the pine-covered folds of the Mount Lebanon foothills.

Just after seven o'clock in the morning, Brig Gen Francois Hajj was driving past the Baabda municipality building as usual, taking the tortuous road from his home across to work at Yarzeh.

It was a routine he would probably have abandoned had he realised he might be a target, and it cost him his life.

The peace of the village was shattered by a massive blast as a car bomb exploded in front of the municipality, echoing round the hills and shaking diplomats from their beds.

Gen Hajj was killed immediately as the flaming wreckage of his car was hurled across the road by the force of the explosion. His bodyguards also died.

Experts estimate the bomb was composed of around 35kg of explosives, detonated by remote control.

The blast left several other cars ablaze and shattered windows across a wide area, throwing local residents into confusion and fear for the safety of loved ones on their way to work or school.

Christians divided

As security forces cordoned off the area and casualties were rushed to hospital, angry arguments and scuffles broke out between local Christians, bitterly divided as a result of the political deadlock currently gripping the country.

Whoever is behind Gen Hajj's murder, one fear is that the aim may be to destabilise the military, an institution which is currently seen by many Lebanese as the only hope of the country's salvation

Supporters and opponents of the controversial Christian politician, the former army general Michel Aoun, nearly came to blows amidst furious recriminations from people accusing him of condoning the string of assassinations by allying himself to Hezbollah, the Syrian-backed spearhead of the Lebanese opposition.

Mr Aoun later appeared at a news conference to praise Gen Hajj and denounce what he called a "security disaster".

Pressure on his relationship with Hezbollah is likely to be one of the consequences of the general's assassination, the ninth in a series of killings that have shaken Lebanon over the past three years.

Almost all of the victims have been politicians, members of parliament and journalists clearly identified with the anti-Syrian camp.

The automatic assumption among supporters of the western-backed majority government is that Syria is behind the campaign of killings, a charge vigorously denied by Damascus.

Professional soldier

After the killing of Gen Hajj, Syria issued a statement accusing "Israel and its Lebanese instruments" of benefiting from the crime.

His assassination breaks the pattern set by the earlier killings.

LEBANESE ASSASSINATIONS Feb 2005: Ex-PM Rafik Hariri April 2005: MP Bassel Fleihan June 2005: Anti-Syria journalist Samir Kassir June 2005: Ex-Communist leader George Hawi Dec 2005: Anti-Syria MP Gebran Tueni Nov 2006: Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel June 2007: Anti-Syria MP Walid Eido Sep 2007: Anti-Syria MP Antoine Ghanim Dec 2007: Army Gen Francois al-Hajj In pictures: Beirut blast

As chief of operations at the army command, he was the first military man to die in this way. As far as is publicly known, he was also not an outspoken critic of Syria.

He was a highly-respected professional soldier who is spoken of with admiration by all who knew him.

As such, Gen Hajj was also a leading contender to replace the current army commander, Gen Michel Suleiman, if and when the latter is appointed to the presidency of the republic by squabbling politicians who have agreed on his candidacy, but not yet on the constitutional and political modalities of his election.

Whoever is behind Gen Hajj's murder, one fear is that the aim may be to destabilise the army, an institution which is currently seen by many Lebanese as the only hope of the country's salvation.

"They could be trying to destabilise one of the last elements that is more or less stable and holding," said one Lebanese analyst.

"If that happens, it's over - the country will become a jungle. It's very dangerous."

Nahr el-Bared connection

There was speculation that the killing might have been in revenge for Gen Hajj's role in the army's suppression of Islamic militants this summer at the Palestinian camp of Nahr el-Bared, in the north of the country, in a fierce battle that lasted nearly four months.

But whoever carried out the assassination, in a high-security area, was in command of intelligence and logistical capabilities that have not been demonstrated by the Islamic radicals.

They have taken responsibility, or been blamed, for a number of explosions of a much more random and less targeted nature involving far fewer skills than this latest killing.

Whatever else, the murder of Gen Hajj has reinforced fears that the seemingly intractable political deadlock, which has left the presidency vacant since Emile Lahhoud stood down in November, might plunge the country into a period of unpredictable instability and violence if it is not resolved soon.