The attack took place a few hours after UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan received a new report in New York on the murder of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. It is the last report from the German head of the investigation, Detlev Mehlis, who is to leave at the end of his term on 15 December, but will probably be replaced.
In an earlier interim report, Mr Mehlis indicated that elements of the Lebanese and Syrian security services were involved in the murder. It is expected that the new report will repeat this conclusion and add that Syria has not cooperated sufficiently with the investigation.
Later this week, the Security Council will study the report, after which it will probably decide to continue the investigation. The US and France are likely to demand measures against Syria if it refuses to cooperate properly with the investigation, but Russia in particular is strongly opposed to such a move.
Continuing attacks
Since the murder of Rafiq Hariri in February this year, a number of attacks against anti-Syrian politicians and journalists have taken place. In September, television personality May Chidiac was seriously wounded in such an attack. In an earlier incident, the former head of the communist party, George Hawi, was killed. Apart from Mr Hariri, the most prominent victim thus far has been journalist Samir Kassir, who worked for Gebran Tueni's liberal newspaper an-Nahar.
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Rafiq Hariri - killed in Lebanon in february 2005 |
Voluntary exile
Just like a large number of anti-Syrian politicians, including Mr Hariri's son Saad, Gebran Tueni moved to France after the summer, for security reasons, and had only just returned to Lebanon. Saad Hariri, who leads the anti-Syrian bloc in parliament, is reportedly due to return to Lebanon before the end of the year.
Many Lebanese accuse Syria of responsibility for the attacks against journalists and politicians and believe they are connected with the investigation into the death of Mr Hariri. Syria denies these allegations, as it does regarding the charges of responsibility for the former prime minister, yet Syrian leaders, including President Bashar al-Assad, have sharply criticised anti-Syrian personalities in Lebanon.
After the Hariri murder, a combination of mass demonstrations and international pressure ultimately forced the Syrians to withdraw from Lebanon. This marked the end of Syria's almost 30-year military presence in the country which started shortly after the beginning of Lebanon's civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 1990.
* translation by the RN Internet Desk
Tags: an Nahar, Bashar Assad, civil war, Detlev Mehlis, Gebran Tueni, George Hawi, Kofi Annan, Lebanon, May Chidiac, Rafiq Hariri, Saad Hariri, Samir Kassir, Security Council, Syria