Anti-Syrian minister Pierre Gemayel assassinated

Pierre Gemayel, scion of the leading Maronite political family in Lebanon and minister and one of the principal opponents of Hizballah, was assassinated Tuesday afternoon.

Lebanon's Industry Minister, Pierre Gemayel was shot dead in Beirut on Tuesday by unknown gunmen. The minister was hit when the motorcade he was travelling in drove through a Christian neighbourhood in the Lebanese capital. Gemayel, 34, was rushed to hospital where he later died of his wounds. A Christian, Gemayel was the son of a former Lebanese president Amin Gemayel and a prominent anti-Syrian politician with the Phalange Party.

 
In initial reactions to the murder, Saad Hariri, son of assassinated former prime minister Rafik Hariri, pointed the finger at Syria. "They want to start a series of killings here, as they promised" he said. Hariri was assassinated by a massive car bomb on 14 February 2005.

 
In its reaction Syria called Gemayel's killing a "despicable crime".

 
Local television footage showed angry crowds taking to the streets in the capital Beirut, and protestors are also reported to have converged on the residence of Emile Lahoud, Lebanon's pro-Syrian president.

 
The killing comes at a delicate time for Lebanon where the government is on the verge of collapse after the resignation of six cabinet ministers last week. The leading Muslim Shiite party Hezbollah has threatened to topple the government if it does not have more voice in Cabinet decisions.

Cui bono?  This may be Hizballah's way of beginning a violent battle with the anti-Syrian, Lebanese nationalist alliance: now, Hassan Nasrallah can claim that his people--after the enraged anti-Syrians commit some outrageous act in retaliation for M. Gemayel's murder that Hizballah are 'spotlessly innocent' of, of course--are acting in self-defense.  I have heard of such things happening before.