LEBANON: Lebanon's outgoing deputy premier and defence minister, Elias Murr, was wounded yesterday when a car bomb exploded next to his motorcade as it passed through a northern Beirut suburb. At least two people were killed and 12 wounded.
Son of veteran politician Michel Murr and son-in-law of president Emile Lahoud, Mr Murr was the fifth figure to be targeted since former economy minister Marwan Hamadeh was seriously injured in an attack last October. Bombers killed former premier Rafiq Hariri in February and columnist Samir Kassim and ex-Communist Party chief George Hawi in June. The strikes on the four previous victims were blamed on Syria because they had adopted a strong line critical of Damascus for its 30-year intervention in Lebanon.
Mr Hariri's assassination prompted hundreds of thousands of Lebanese to take to the streets and demand Syria's withdrawal, which took place under strong international pressure at the end of April.
Mr Murr is the first victim allied to Syria. Both his father and president Lahoud have long-standing ties with Damascus. Nevertheless, Syria's antagonists accused Damascus of the bombing. Syria denied any involvement and denounced the attempt as a "terrorist act". Abdel Rahman Murad, a former minister, said the attack was intended to "sow disorder" and blamed Israel.
Druze chieftain and leader of the drive to oust Syria, Walid Jumblatt, said the attempt on Mr Murr, who was interior minister last year, was part of a plan to "liquidate those with information about the [ Hariri] assassination".
There was also speculation that Islamist militants could have been seeking revenge for the death in police custody last year of a suspect in a plot to bomb foreign embassies.
