December 12, 2007 10:42

Another Assassination in Lebanon

Only days ago it seemed as if Lebanon was moving past its latest crisis. The country's feuding factions, backed by America on the one hand and Syria on the other, had reached an agreement on a candidate to fill the country's empty presidency. All that was left was to pass a constitutional amendment allowing the chief of the army, General Michel Sulieman, to become the head of state, a position normally barred to serving military officers. A slight thaw in relations between America and Syria -- as symbolized by Syrian participation in the Annapolis peace conference -- seemed to presage an easing of tension in Lebanon.

But now it seems that the country is teetering one again. This morning, the chief of operations of the Lebanese army was killed in a bomb blast along with at least four other people in the outskirts of Beirut. And on Monday, parliament once again delayed the presidential vote, while rival factions appear to be returning to their hard line positions.

The assassination of Brigadier General Francois Hajj in Babdaa, a town that holds both the presidential palace and military headquarters, is the latest in a string of assassinations that have plagued the country since 2005. Unlike previous victims, most of whom were anti-Syrian politicians and journalists, Hajj had no overt political affiliation. However, he was one of the leading candidates to head the army if Sulieman is elected president, and he was also instrumental in leading the battle against Islamic militants in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp this past summer.

--Andrew Lee Butters/Beirut