The story of Lebanon's descent into civil strife over the last two days is captured in the following three news articles. [My own emphasis added - SL]
...first from Agence France-Presse, by Jocelyne Zablit in Beirut, January 26, 2008 03:13am:
Slaying of top investigator sparks outrage
LEBANON'S top anti-terrorism investigator was slain along with three other people in a powerful car bombing that ripped through a neighbourhood of eastern Beirut. Captain Wissam Eid, 31, a member of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), and his bodyguard were killed along with two civilians, a security official said. He said 38 other people were wounded, with nine taken to hospital.
"Eid was a key member of the ISF and was involved in many investigations related to terrorist bombings in Lebanon in recent years," the official said. "He was involved in sensitive probes and this is a major loss for us."...
....Brigadier General Ashraf Rifi, head of the ISF, said the car bomb was yet another attempt at destabilising the country as it grapples with its worst political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war....
...A senior member of the anti-Syrian majority pointed the finger at Damascus. "This bombing is proof that the (Syrian) mukhabarat (intelligence) have infiltrated Lebanese security services," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity....
...."This attack is a clear message to all Arabs that the future of Lebanon will remain under the stranglehold of crimes and terrorism despite all the initiatives to resolve the political crisis," Mr Hariri said. "That compels us to call once again on Syria to stop its interference in Lebanon."...
...and from Agence France-Presse, by Pierre Sawaya in Beirut, January 27, 2008 12:03am:
Angry mourners vow revenge for killings
LEBANON'S senior security chief has vowed to fight what he called "the empire of terror" as angry mourners vowed revenge at the funeral of a top intelligence officer killed in a car bombing....."We are determined to confront the empire of death and terror," Internal Security Forces chief Brigadier General Ashraf Rifi said at a ceremony at ISF headquarters in Beirut before the funeral.
He paid tribute to Eid and Mereb, calling them heroes and martyrs, and pledged that the ISF "will continue to confront those who have decided to terrorise the nation."
....Hundreds of mourners lined the streets of Tripoli, which is decked with black flags. Women threw fistsful of rice and rose petals as the funeral cortege entered the city while men shouted slogans denouncing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. They chanted: "Syria is the mother of terrorism" and "We swear to Allah that we will seek revenge"....his coffin was welcomed by thunderous applause as mourners chanted: "With our blood and our soul we redeem you, Wissam."
Eid was buried in the family cemetery after a fiery speech by senior Sunni cleric Sheikh Oussama al-Rifai, who demanded that the truth behind the killings be made known. Saad Hariri, the leader of Lebanon's Western-backed parliamentary majority and a scion of the Sunni Muslim community, on Friday indirectly accused Syria of involvement in the murder....
...and from Reuters, by Laila Bassam, [Mon 28 Jan, 2:38am Beirut time]:
Eight shot dead in Beirut opposition protests
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Eight Lebanese opposition supporters were shot dead in Beirut on Sunday in some of the worst street violence since Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war, raising tensions in a country gripped by political conflict.
A senior opposition source said all the dead were members of Hezbollah or Amal -- Shi'ite Muslim groups that have been locked in a power struggle with the anti-Damascus governing coalition for more than a year. At least 29 more people were wounded.
...Most of the eight dead activists, all men, were killed in the same area, but it was not clear who was responsible. The army said it was investigating who was behind the shooting....
....Gunfire was heard into the night in Beirut, and the streets were deserted. Gunmen were seen in Shi'ite and Christian areas near the scene of the shooting in Mar Makhaeil....
... tensions are still high between Sunni Muslim followers of governing coalition leader Saad al-Hariri and Shi'ites loyal to the opposition.....
... Saudi Arabia...backs the governing coalition.
...Iran...supports Hezbollah [opposition]....
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