BEIRUT, 13 December 2007 — A car bomb killed a Lebanese Army general in a Christian suburb of Beirut yesterday, removing a leading contender to replace military chief Gen. Michel Suleiman who is set to be elected president next week.
Brig. Gen. Francois Al-Hajj, head of army operations, and his bodyguard were killed in the early morning blast that hit their car in Baabda, a wealthy area that houses the presidential palace and several embassies.
Hajj was the ninth fatality in a string of assassinations that began with the 2005 killing of ex-Premier Rafik Al-Hariri. Lebanese politicians from the ruling coalition and the Hezbollah-led opposition denounced the attack, as did the United States, France, Germany, Syria and Iran.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the murder of the top general was meant to foil the presidential vote in a country which has been without a head of state for nearly three weeks.
“This heinous crime is one of a series of crimes that targeted Lebanese institutions and leaders... and now is targeting the military and the army command in a bid to foil the presidential election,” he said.
The attack heightened tension in Lebanon where rival leaders are embroiled in a struggle over the presidency that has fueled the biggest political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
A White House spokesman said President George W. Bush would “continue to stand with the Lebanese people as they counter those who attempt to undermine their security and freedom.”
Security sources said 35kg (77lb) of explosives packed into an olive-green BMW car were detonated by remote control as Hajj’s four-wheel-drive vehicle drove by. Hajj, 54, had been seen as one of two main contenders for the job of army chief, traditionally a Maronite Christian. The post would fall vacant if Parliament elects Suleiman president in a long-delayed vote now slated for Monday.
“The army and the Lebanese people will not succumb to terrorism,” Suleiman was quoted as saying in a statement. “(Hajj’s) martyrdom strengthens us and reinforces our belief in victory and confidence in Lebanon’s future.”
Political and religious leaders said the killing showed the need to reduce tensions by electing Suleiman swiftly. Siniora said the military was targeted for its role in preserving Lebanon’s security and stability.
No group claimed responsibility for Hajj’s killing. Some Lebanese politicians accuse Syria of carrying out the killings. Damascus has denied any involvement. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem denounced the “criminal attack” on Hajj. “We condemn any action that threatens Lebanon,” he said.
Hajj helped lead an army onslaught on Al-Qaeda-inspired militants at the Nahr Al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon this year in which 168 soldiers and about 230 Fatah Al-Islam fighters were killed.
“Once he was nominated for the leadership (of the army), they killed him,” Hajj’s father Elias told reporters in the slain officer’s village of Rmeish in southern Lebanon.
Villagers raised black flags and army emblems in Rmeish, where schools closed for three days of mourning. Hajj came from a family of tobacco farmers and was the eldest of 12 children. The blast wrecked Hajj’s car, set others on fire and damaged nearby buildings. Charred metal littered the blackened streets.
“We are facing a security catastrophe today,” said Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun, calling on the interior minister to resign. Visibly shaken, the former army chief told reporters Hajj had been his preferred candidate for the top military post.
On Monday, Lebanon’s Parliament speaker postponed the presidential election to Dec. 17, the eighth delay to the vote. Pro- and anti-Syrian factions agreed last week that Suleiman should take the presidency, reserved for a Maronite. It has been vacant since the term of Emile Lahoud ended on Nov. 23.
Hajj, a father of three, will be buried at his hometown on Friday. Hajj is survived by his wife Lody Andraos, his daughters Racha, 22, and Jessica, 20, and his only son Elie, 25, who was due to be married during the end of year holidays.
“He will never have the joy of seeing his son getting married,” Hajj’s 79-year-old mother Kafa Al-Aalam said in Rmeish as the town prepared for his burial.
The Arab League condemned yesterday’s “terrorist” bombing in Lebanon, hoping it would not further delay the election of a new president.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa “vigorously condemned the terrorist explosion which targeted the top general,” Egypt’s official MENA news agency reported.
