Blast Kills Anti-Syrian Journalist In Lebanon

BEIRUT, June 2 -- A Lebanese journalist who championed a years-long crusade against Syrian influence in Lebanon through both writing and activism was assassinated Thursday by a bomb placed in his car near his home in the capital. The attack, which his supporters and some Lebanese politicians blamed on Syria and its lingering presence here, elicited cries of outrage throughout the country.

Samir Kassir, 45, was the most prominent Lebanese figure killed since Rafiq Hariri, a former prime minister, died in a bombing on Feb. 14. Hariri's slaying unleashed mass protests in downtown Beirut that led to the end of the 29-year Syrian military presence in the country.

Kassir, a columnist for Lebanon's An Nahar daily, helped shape the message of the spring protests, dubbed the Cedar Revolution.

In an interview with The Washington Post last week, Kassir celebrated the movement's accomplishments, even as he spoke soberly about what was ahead.

"People are tending to forget that we have tremendous change in Lebanon," he said from his office overlooking Martyrs' Square. "What's at stake now is to show that an open political game is now available in Lebanon."

Bowing to international pressure, Syria withdrew its troops in April, but it maintains influence in the small Mediterranean country, particularly with the intelligence services and political allies, including President Emile Lahoud.

The United States and France denounced the killing, as did U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who lamented the death of a "prominent and outspoken" journalist. In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the assassination "a heinous act."

In Lebanon, opposition leaders demanded the resignation of Lahoud, whose standing has eroded dramatically since the Syrian troop pullout, and called for a general strike on Friday to protest the killing. Anti-Syrian politicians had declared Lahoud's ouster to be their goal once a new parliament is chosen in elections that end June 19.

"The response to this new crime should be the resignation of the president as the head of the security and intelligence regime," said a statement issued Thursday night by opposition leaders after a meeting in the capital.

Syria denied any role in the assassination. Its official SANA news agency quoted an Information Ministry official as saying the allegations were designed to increase pressure on Syria.

Lahoud, who quickly condemned the killing, visited the headquarters of the Lebanese journalists union to pay his respects and convened an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss security.

Kassir was killed when a small bomb exploded in midmorning after he got into his silver Alfa Romeo near his house in the fashionable Christian neighborhood of Ashrafiyyeh. The blast set the car on fire, twisted its frame and shattered windows, strewing glass along the sidewalk. The Interior Ministry said the explosion, which came from under the driver's seat, killed him instantly. His mangled torso was spread across the passenger's seat before rescue workers moved his corpse onto a stretcher.