Beirut bomb kills anti-Syrian intelligence official

=========== Beirut bomb kills anti-Syrian intelligence official Fri, Oct 19 18:43 PM EDT 1 of 17 By Oliver Holmes and Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - A prominent Lebanese intelligence official opposed to President Bashar al-Assad was killed in a huge car bomb in Beirut in another sign that Syria's civil war is dragging its volatile neighbor into the conflict. Wissam al-Hassan, who led an investigation that implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the assassination of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, and seven other people were killed when the bomb exploded in central Beirut on Friday afternoon. Hassan, a Sunni Muslim who was close to Hariri, also helped uncover a bomb plot that led to the arrest and indictment in August of a pro-Assad former Lebanese minister, in a setback for Damascus and its Lebanese allies including Hezbollah. The bombing was the most serious to hit the capital since Hariri's 2005 assassination and prompted Sunni Muslims to take to streets across the country, burning tires and blocking roads in a show of sectarian anger. Hariri's son, Saad al-Hariri, accused Assad of being behind the bombing, while Lebanon's opposition March 14 bloc called on Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government, which includes ministers from Hezbollah, to resign over the bombing. The head of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, Major-General Ashraf Rifi, described Hassan's death as a "huge blow" and warned that further attacks were likely. "We've lost a central security pillar," he told Future Television. "Without a doubt, we have more sacrifices coming in the future. We know that, but we will not be broken." Rubble and the twisted, burning wreckage of several cars filled the central Beirut street where the bomb exploded, ripping the facades and balconies off buildings. Firefighters scrambled through the debris and rescue workers carried off the bloodied victims on stretchers. In the confusion following the blast, it took several hours before any official word emerged that Hassan had been targeted. IRANIAN VISIT Speaking shortly after the bombing, Lebanon's Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told Reuters that his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi had condemned the bombing and planned to visit Beirut on Saturday. Iran is a powerful supporter of both Hezbollah and Syria's Assad, who is fighting a 19-month-old uprising waged by mainly Sunni Muslim insurgents. More than 30,000 people have been killed since the uprising erupted in March last year. Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those supporting Assad and those backing the rebels, leaving it vulnerable to spillover from the Syrian bloodshed. Two Syrian officers, including General Ali Mamlouk, the head of Syria's national security bureau, were indicted along with Lebanon's former information minister Michel Samaha in August over a plot allegedly aimed at stoking violence in Lebanon. The indictments were an unprecedented move against the more powerful neighbor - a major player in Lebanon's affairs for decades. As well as being the brains behind the Samaha investigation, Hassan led the investigation into Rafik Hariri's murder seven years ago and uncovered evidence that implicated Syria and Hezbollah - a charge they both deny. An international tribunal accused several Hezbollah members of involvement in the murder. Hassan, who returned to Lebanon on Thursday night from Germany, had helped uncover many assassination attempts against anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon. He himself escaped several attempts on his life. BLOOD ON THE STREETS The bombing, which was reminiscent of scenes from Lebanon's own 1975-1990 civil war, ripped through a street near Sassine Square in Ashrafiyeh, a mostly Christian area. Mikati said his government was trying to find out who carried out the attack and those responsible would be punished. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, whose party still formally supports Mikati's government although he is bitterly critical of Assad and Hezbollah, said Hassan's death left Lebanon unsafe. "He was our protector. This is a harsh blow but we will not be scared and we should not accuse anyone inside Lebanon so we don't give Bashar an excuse to seize the country," he said. Syria had long played a major role in Lebanese politics, siding with different factions during the civil war. It deployed troops in Beirut and parts of the country during the war and they stayed until 2005. In Damascus, Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi told reporters: "We condemn this terrorist explosion and all these explosions wherever they happen. Nothing justifies them." Khattar Abou Diab, a Middle East expert at the University of Paris, said the attack was clearly linked to the Syria crisis and Hassan was one of the few security chiefs protecting Lebanon's sovereignty and independence. "This is now revenge against a man who confronted the Syrians and revenge against a district, a Christian district in the heart of Beirut. Regional powers are fighting in Syria and now also want to fight in Lebanon," he said. Hezbollah condemned the bombing and called on the security forces and judiciary "to exert maximum efforts to uncover the perpetrators and bring them to justice". The U.S. government also condemned the bombing and reiterated its concerns about increasing sectarian tensions in Lebanon and a spillover from Syria. French President Francois Hollande urged Lebanese politicians to stay united and prevent attempts to destabilize the country. The Vatican and the European Union also condemned the attack. Bombings were a hallmark of the civil war but the last such attack in Beirut was in 2008. Beirut has undergone massive reconstruction to repair the war damage and in recent years has enjoyed a tourist boom, boosted by the city's pulsating nightlife. That source of revenue, crucial to Lebanon's prosperity, is now under threat. (Additional reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Giles Elgood) ================ Beirut blast: Who serves to gain? Get short URL email story to a friendprint version Published: 19 October, 2012, 23:48 TAGS: Conflict, Middle East, Politics, Terrorism, Israel, Syria, Blast TRENDS: Syria unrest Lebanese security forces and rescue workers gather at the site of an explosion in Beirut's Christian neighbourhood of Ashrafieh on October 19, 2012. (AFP Photo/Patrick Baz) (33.9Mb) embed video The deadly blast in Beirut which killed eight and wounded 118 more has risked destabilizing Lebanon while civil war rages in Syria. Middle Eastern analyst Ali Rizk told RT that the one with the most to gain from the attack was not Syria, but Israel. RT: So you are there in the city, how would you assess the situation there right now? Ali Rizk: Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN envoy to Syria, he was here in Beirut just two days ago. In his statements, he said that he was very afraid that the conflict or unrest in Syria could not stay within Syria’s borders forever, and that eventually, if it continues, it will go beyond these borders. Now, two days after he made these statements, this massive, massive blast – I was at the scene for a couple of hours –we already have the political element coming into play. Some elements of the March 14th movement, which is known to be anti-Bashar al-Assad, even before it was known who was killed in this explosion, they quickly pointed the fingers at the Syrian government. And now with [senior Lebanese intelligence official ]Wissam al-Hassan, the head of internal security has been killed or targeted, is known to be pro-March 14th [and not an ally] of the Syrian government. This will only lead to more and more fingers [being pointed] from March 14th, and from their Western allies being pointed at Syria. [It is] similar to the situation we witnessed when [former Lebanese prime minister] Rafik Hariri was assassinated. ­Named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, the March 14th alliance was a coalition of political parties formed in the wake of the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. United by their anti-Syrian stance, the group pushed for a lessening of Damascus’ influence on internal Lebanese affairs, the establishment of a commission to investigate Hariri’s assassination, the resignation of security officials, and the organization of parliamentary elections. The Cedar Revolution secured a withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanese soil that same year. RT: What do you make of the accusations that the Syrian government is behind the blast? AR: The question that must be raised in all cases is who benefits from such an act? If the Syrian government goes ahead with [such] acts – we don’t have any information – but if it does…I think it’s only endangering itself and committing suicide. Is the Syrian government as such a suicidal government? I myself don’t [think] so. The side which benefits maybe would be Israel. This might be a coincidence, but it might not be. Hezbollah actually sent an unmanned drone into Israeli airspace just a few days ago. So could this be a response from Israel…because many are saying that Israel doesn’t have the ability, that it now cannot actually wage a war against Hezbollah and against Lebanon. So has Israel resorted to creating internal instability inside Lebanon with the aim of keeping Lebanon preoccupied with itself and taking it out of what we refer to here as the resistance axis, which includes Iran, Syria and Hezbollah? We also must not forget the potential of Israel playing a role. The fact that many of the al-Qaeda elements and the extremists who are fighting the Syrian government inside Syria, it is said that many of them have fled over here into Lebanon from the city of Homs and taken refuge. The explosion we saw today – car bombings – indeed do bear the traces of al-Qaeda, it affiliates and even some foreign intelligence sources. RT: As you mentioned, after the Special Envoy to Syria did warn that the Syrian conflict could spread beyond Syria itself. You’ve just been talking about Israel, we’ve seen the events in Lebanon, and of course we’ve been reporting about the impact on Turkey. Which other countries now could be affected by the Syrian crisis? AR: The Syrian crisis, as I said, could affect the whole region. We also have Iraq. Iraq could be very much involved, especially taking into consideration al-Qaeda and its presence there. The whole region could be set ablaze. Even some of Syria’s foes, like the United States and the Obama administration, have warned of the regional repercussions of the ongoing Syria unrest. So I think the whole region is exposed, and so for this reason it is necessary for there to be a judgment to the initiative by Lakhdar Brahimi, who focused on seeking a ceasefire on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. ============ Lebanese PM suspects assassination linked to bomb plot Sat, Oct 20 10:54 AM EDT 1 of 23 By Laila Bassam and Angus MacSwan BEIRUT (Reuters) - Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Saturday he suspected the assassination of a senior Lebanese intelligence chief was linked to his role in uncovering Syrian involvement in an earlier bomb plot. As fear and anger gripped Lebanon over Friday's car bomb attack, Mikati also said the president had asked him to stay in his post despite his offer to resign and make way for a national unity government. In the streets of Beirut and other cities, gunmen and demonstrators blocked roads with burning tires to protest against the killing of Brigadier-General Wissam al-Hassan in the explosion in the capital on Friday afternoon. Lebanese politicians have accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack, deepening fears that Syria's sectarian-tinged civil war is spreading to its neighbor. The opposition March 14 bloc had called for the government, which includes ministers from the Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah, which is close to Assad, to step down. Mikati, speaking at a news conference at the presidential palace, stopped short of blaming Assad directly. But he said he suspected the bombing was related to the indictment in August of former minister Michel Samaha, a supporter of Assad, over a plot allegedly aimed at stoking violence in Lebanon. "A prime minister does not anticipate investigations, but quite honestly ... I cannot separate in any way the crime that took place yesterday and the discovery of the conspiracy against Lebanon in August," he said. The slain Hassan had helped to uncover the bomb plot, which fuelled sectarian enmity in a country where the balance between religious groups is fragile. He also led an investigation that implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the assassination of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005. Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those that support Assad in Syria's civil war and those that back the Sunni-led rebels. Lebanon is still recovering from its own 1975-1990 civil war, and the assassination threatens to bring a new bout of instability and bloodshed. "Today, I am saying more and more that there should be a national consensus government," Mikati said. "The cabinet will eventually resign, but at the moment we must take a national stance, and I call on the Lebanese to unite together." GUNS IN THE STREETS Squads of armed men gathered in the northern, mostly-Sunni city of Tripoli, where pro- and anti-Assad factions have clashed repeatedly this year. In Beirut, troops reinforced road junctions and official buildings but many roads, including the highway to the international airport, were blocked by demonstrators. Soldiers and police guarded street corners in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh area, the mainly Christian district where the bomb exploded during rush hour, and at Martyrs' Square in the centre. In Beirut's Sunni Muslim areas, where most people are opposed to the Alawite Assad, cars mounted with loudspeakers cruised the streets issuing calls for the government to resign. Dozens of gunmen were in the streets and the mood was tense, witnesses said. In the northern city of Tripoli, four people were wounded on Saturday by sniper fire on Jebel Mohsen, a neighborhood which is home to members of Assad's minority Alawite faith. A pro-Hezbollah religious figure was killed in clashes in Tripoli on Friday night, residents said. Lebanese soldiers opened fire on a group who took over a road in the Bekaa Valley, wounding two people, witnesses said. Rallies were also held in the southern town of Sidon. "HUGE BLOW" The late Hariri's son, Saad al-Hariri, also accused Syria's Assad of being behind the bombing, which killed at least eight people and wounded more than 80. Saudi Arabia, a close ally of the late Hariri and opponent of Assad, said it was an attack on Lebanon's security and stability. The head of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, Major-General Ashraf Rifi, described Hassan's death as a "huge blow" and warned that further attacks were likely. "We've lost a central security pillar," he told Future Television. "Without a doubt, we have more sacrifices coming in the future." Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, whose party still formally supports Mikati's government though he is bitterly critical of Assad and Hezbollah, said Hassan's death left Lebanon unsafe. "He was our protector. This is a harsh blow but we will not be scared and we should not accuse anyone inside Lebanon so we don't give Bashar an excuse to seize the country," he said. Lebanon's mufti, the senior Sunni religious figure, announced three days of mourning for Hassan. He will be buried with full honors on Sunday. Hassan, who had returned to Lebanon on Thursday night from Germany, had helped to uncover many assassination attempts against anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon and had himself escaped several attempts on his life. Two Syrian officers, including General Ali Mamlouk, the head of Syria's national security bureau, were indicted along with Samaha, Lebanon's former information minister, in August over the plot. The indictments were an unprecedented move against Syria, a dominant player in Lebanese affairs for decades. Syria sided with different factions during the 1975-1990 civil war and deployed troops in Beirut who stayed until 2005. As well as being the brains behind the Samaha investigation, Hassan led the investigation into Rafik al-Hariri's murder seven years ago and uncovered evidence that implicated Syria and Hezbollah, though both deny involvement. An international tribunal accused several Hezbollah members of involvement in the murder. Despite the accusations from Lebanese politicians, both the Assad government and Hezbollah condemned the bombing. Syria's information minister called it a "terrorist act". The bombing also heightened concern among Western powers - who have strongly criticized Assad and called on him to quit - that the Syrian war could ignite conflict across the region. More than 30,000 people have been killed in Syria since a Sunni-led popular uprising against Assad, a member of the Shi'ite-linked Alawite sect, broke out 19 months ago. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Hassan's killing was "a dangerous sign that there are those who continue to seek to undermine Lebanon's stability". Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, whose country is a powerful backer of Assad and Hezbollah, condemned the bombing and said he planned to visit Beirut. (Additional reporting by Oliver Holmes and Dominic Evans in Beirut; Editing by Andrew Roche) ===================== ‘Day of Rage’: Lebanon prepares to bury slain security chief Get short URL email story to a friendprint version Published: 20 October, 2012, 22:59 Edited: 21 October, 2012, 12:19 TAGS: Conflict, Middle East, Protest, Politics, Terrorism, Bill Dod, Irina Galushko, Syria, Blast Supporters of the March 14th anti-Syrian opposition coalition take part in a protest a day after the assassination of Internal Security Forces (ISF) intelligence chief General Wissam al-Hassan in Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut, on October 20, 2012 (AFP Photo / Anwar Amro) (27.9Mb) embed video Gunshots have been reported in several areas of downtown Beirut, Lebanon, where people rallied outside the Prime Ministers office. Anti-Syrian protesters called for a “Day of Rage” to coincide with the funeral of slain security chief al-Hasan. Gunshots were heard in Barbour, Tarik al-Jadeedah and Corniche al-Mazraa areas, local Naharnet reported on Saturday evening. Locals in the area have given some insight into the origins of a loud noise, feared to be a gunshot or explosion, commenting on Twitter a member of the public posted, “Hearing multiple reports that the loud noise believed to be an explosion in West Beirut was likely a stun grenade but no confirmation yet.” Friday’s deadly bombing and assassination risks putting Beirut on a collision course with Damascus. Protesters gathered in downtown Beirut outside the office of Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday as calls for his resignation continue unabated over his alleged role in the high-profile assassination. Thousands of people angered by the recent killing of a top intelligence officer had gathered on Martyrs Square in the heart of the capital. PM Najib Mikati, who enjoys support from Hezbollah, Damascus and Iran, offered to step down to placate those who accused him of playing a role in Friday’s deadly car bombing. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman refused his resignation. The March 14 coalition has also called for a “Day of Rage” in the Lebanese capital on Sunday as with opposition leaders accusing Syria of being behind the attack. “Let tomorrow be … a day of anger in the face of the butcher Bashar Assad and the black regime that rules Syria with the power of fire and destruction and wants to export blood and devastation to our country Lebanon,” the Lebanese Daily Star cites MP Nuhad Mashnouq, an outspoken critic of Assad, as saying. March 14 said that the protesters would call on the Arab League and the UN Security Council to take the appropriate measures to preserve Lebanon’s stability. AFP Photo / Anwar Amro ­“Such measures should include deploying the international troops United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon alongside the Lebanese-Syrian borders,” Mashnouq said. Hassan will be interned near the tomb of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri on Martyrs Square, Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi told al-Mustaqbal television. Hariri’s 2005 assassination sparked the 2005 Cedar Revolution which resulted in the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon. The March 14 coalition takes its name from the date the revolution kicked off. The funeral will be held at the al-Amine mosque in downtown Beirut, near the mausoleum, and will follow afternoon prayers. Rafiq’s son and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri insisted “everyone of you is personally invited to attend the funeral on Sunday,” but said that the roads should remain clear so that access to Marty’s Square will not be blocked. MP Sami Gemayel, from the Christian Phalange Party, also called on supporters to come out in masse to Sunday’s funeral. Gemayel accused the Syrian government of dragging Lebanon into a direct confrontation. “We tried to disassociate our nation from the conflict in Syria, but the regime is challenging the Lebanese people once again by assassinating Hassan,” the MP said. Gemayel drew a line in the sand, saying Lebanese officials must decide if they are loyal to their own country or Syria. “It's a battle between Lebanon and a foreign country that is violating its sovereignty and unity,” he added. Gemayel also said the March 14 coalition should once again become a resistance movement that can safeguard both the Lebanese people and their state. AFP Photo / Anwar Amro Hezbollah and the Future Movement at loggerheads The assassination is as a major blow the March 14 coalition, to which Hassan, a Sunni Muslim, was closely allied. Hassan was also a close ally of former PM Saad Hariri, who fled Lebanon in April 2011 after his government collapsed in January of that year amid fears he would be assassinated. Hezbollah recently accused Hariri and his Future Movement of supporting the Syrian opposition. “I say to the Future Movement and to Saad Hariri: have mercy on Lebanon and its people, have mercy on Syria and its people and stop funding and arming the [Syrian] opposition,” the National News Agency quoted Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem as saying last Saturday. “[Stop] managing armed groups in Turkey and involving Lebanon in the details of the Syrian crisis. [Stop] sheltering gunmen in Lebanon and smuggling weapons from Lebanon to Syria,” Qassem continued. Hezbollah and the Future Movement have routinely accused each other of meddling in the Syrian conflict. Hassan died when an explosive-laden car detonated in Ashrafiyeh district of Beirut, a majority Christian neighborhood of the Lebanese capital. Seven others were killed in the blast, at least were injured, and surrounding buildings were seriously damaged. It was the first car bombing in Lebanon in four years, when the country’s top anti-terrorism investigator was killed along with three others. The attack sparked riots and protests which continued into Saturday, as thousands of people across Lebanon demonstrated against the bombing in Beirut. The UN has condemned the attack calling for a thorough investigation to find the perpetrators, while the US called the blast a“terrorist attack.” Syria also condemned the deadly blast. People set up tents and gather outside the Lebanese Grand Serail also known as the Government Palace, the headquarters of the Prime Minister of Lebanon, in downtown Beirut, on October 20, 2012 (AFP Photo / Anwar Amro) ============= Thousands gather for Beirut funeral of slain official Sun, Oct 21 06:06 AM EDT By Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - Thousands of people started gathering in central Beirut on Sunday for the funeral of slain intelligence officer Wissam al-Hassan, a ceremony likely to become a rally against Syrian authorities. Hassan, who uncovered an alleged Syrian bomb plot inside Lebanon two months ago, died in a car bomb blast that killed seven other people and wounded 80 in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district on Friday. Lebanese politicians have accused Syria's leadership of having a role in the assassination, which deepened fears the civil war there is spreading beyond its borders. Soldiers deployed in force across Beirut in preparation for the funeral, with squads standing guard at road junctions and stopping cars from entering the downtown area. A mosque in central Martyrs' Square, where Hassan is due to be buried, broadcast prayers for the dead early on Sunday. Protesters had blocked roads with burning tires and gunmen took to the streets of Beirut and Tripoli on Saturday. In the evening small groups of protesters waving Lebanese flags marched to the government offices. But the city was otherwise quiet overnight as residents stayed at home fearing more violence and jeeps loaded with soldiers cruised the streets. Even the night-life areas of Hamra and Gemmayzeh were subdued, with many restaurants closed. Former prime minister Saad al-Hariri accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the bombing and Lebanon's political opposition demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose government includes Syria's Shi'ite Muslim ally Hezbollah. The death of Hassan, a Sunni Muslim from the northern city of Tripoli who was close to the powerful Hariri political clan, has inflamed Sunni anger. Deep-seated sectarian tensions in Lebanon, which fought a civil war from 1975 to 1990, have been exacerbated by the conflict in Syria. Sunni-led rebels in Syria are fighting to overthrow Assad, who is from the Alawite minority which has its roots in Shi'ite Islam. Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those that support Assad and those that back the rebels, despite Mikati's policy of "dissociation" which sought in vain to insulate the country from turmoil in its larger neighbor. Sunday's funeral march will set off from Hassan's Internal Security Force headquarters in Ashrafiyeh, passing the site of Friday's bombing before reaching Martyrs' Square where he will be buried alongside Hariri's father Rafik, killed in a 2005 bombing on the Beirut seafront. Saad Hariri called for a mass turn-out for the funeral. "Every one of you is personally invited tomorrow to Martyr's Square to the prayers for Wissam al-Hassan," he said in a statement broadcast on Lebanese television on Saturday. Samir Geagea, a Christian political leader and critic of Assad, demanded that Lebanon suspend all security and military agreements with Damascus and expel the Syrian ambassador. LEBANON "COMBUSTIBLE" Mikati said on Saturday he wanted to resign to make way for a "consensus government" but had accepted a request by President Michel Suleiman to stay in office to allow time for talks on a way out of the political crisis. "The situation is fragile. I don't know if this is the first in a series of attacks - history would suggest it is," a Western diplomat said, referring to a wave of assassinations in Lebanon following the 2005 killing of Rafik Hariri. "Of all the people to go for, Hassan was the most dangerous target in terms of hitting Lebanon's stability." Mikati said he suspected Hassan's assassination was linked to his role in uncovering Syrian involvement in the bomb plot. "I cannot separate in any way the crime that took place yesterday and the discovery of the conspiracy against Lebanon in August," he said. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also pointed to a Damascus connection. "We don't yet know exactly who is behind this but everything indicates that this is an extension of the Syrian tragedy," he told French television. "I think this is a part of what is happening in Syria and shows again how the departure of Bashar al-Assad is urgent." In the northern city of Tripoli, four people were wounded on Saturday by sniper fire on Jebel Mohsen, a neighborhood which is home to members of the Alawite faith. A pro-Hezbollah religious figure was killed in clashes in Tripoli on Friday, residents said. Lebanese soldiers opened fire on a group who took over a road in the Bekaa Valley, wounding two people, witnesses said. Rallies were also held in the southern town of Sidon. (Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Angus MacSwan) ----------------- Insight: Bomb blast brings Lebanon's party capital to juddering halt Thu, Oct 25 11:51 AM EDT By Samia Nakhoul BEIRUT (Reuters) - Luxury yachts line the glitzy seafront marina of Beirut's Zaytouneh Bay where owners would sip champagne at sunset before stepping out for dinner - spoilt for choice between going Italian at Signor Sassi or French at Cro Magnon. Across the street, the Whisky Mist night club at the Intercontinental Phoenicia Hotel would normally be swinging with Beiruti night clubbers. Gulf Arabs would head for the oriental Awtar night club at the Monroe Hotel for a belly dancing show. The real estate market, meanwhile, defies not just the laws of economics but geopolitical gravity. "How people can ask for $100,000 in rent when the country is on the edge of the abyss I find extraordinary," said Michael Karam, a wine writer. Lebanon would seem to have it all: a cosmopolitan society, beach resorts, mountains, friendly weather, good food and wine, and buzzing bars. The party capital of the Arab world, Beirut is a freewheeling city where Gulf Arabs, expatriates and Lebanese émigrés fly in to enjoy its luxury hotels. But under the veneer of modernity lie sectarian demons coiled to strike. The car-bomb assassination last Friday of intelligence chief Wissam al-Hassan - an attack almost universally blamed on Syria and its local allies - brought the merry-go-round to a juddering halt. Gunmen and protesters filled the streets, reflecting the antagonisms fuelling the conflict in next-door Syria and reviving memories of the sectarian hatreds that sunk Lebanon into its 1975-90 civil war, a conflict whose wounds have far from healed. It is not just the sectarian poison - reflecting the regional struggle between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims and, in Lebanon, the Christians split into alliances with both sides - but the shocking social contrasts that lie beneath the surface. 'MANY LEBANONS' Not far from the glamour of the Beirut seafront lie shanty towns where destitute people fight for daily survival. Two apartments in the gleaming skyscrapers overlooking Zaytouneh Bay sold only a few months ago for $18 million and $14 million. Apartments for rent were non-negotiable a month ago at a price of $100,000. Real estate agents claimed demand was high from rich Syrians fleeing the conflict at home, but now they admit they may not see such fat deals for some time. "There are many Lebanons. We live in a true disconnect. This place is on a respirator. We live in a bubble within the bubble," said Maria, 47, an interior designer who left Lebanon aged 9 and returned after 17 years abroad. Even before last Friday's blast, the spillover from Syria had started to have a knock-on effect in Lebanon. Security was deteriorating as the rule of law crumbled. Bank robberies and kidnappings for ransom picked up and sectarian rumblings between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims heightened as Lebanon's main Muslim factions lined up with the opposing sides of the Syrian conflict. Tourists who come for the Roman ruins stayed away this year, leaving frightened Lebanese to contemplate another round of sectarian strife. The Christian-Muslim bigotry that triggered Lebanon's own war is now buried within the overarching Sunni-Shi'ite struggle convulsing the region. The battle lines in Syria are drawn between the heterodox Shi'ite Alawite minority underpinning Bashar al-Assad and the rebellious Sunni majority, with minorities such as Christians and Druze caught in the crossfire.

Like other Lebanese, Karam has had enough. He will leave the country in which he married, had children and lived through three wars and a popular revolution. "What prompted me to say this summer that it is time to go is the fact that Syria is in crisis. I am not for one second one of those people who say the Assad regime has to stay, No, but I think while Syria is in crisis Lebanon will be in a more dangerous situation," he said.

GREAT CITY Karam moved to Lebanon from London in 1992, two years after the war ended and the rebuilding of Beirut by former premier Rafik al-Hariri, a billionaire construction tycoon, started. The first tremor under this resurrected Beirut shook the city in 2005, when Hariri was killed by a massive bomb. The attack was blamed on Syria and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. "Now my kids are 15 and 14. They want to go out and I don't want them going out because I don't want to worry every time they go out," said Karam. Maria, the interior designer, has already sent her two sons to school abroad. A Sunni Muslim with Shi'ite kids, she said sectarianism was embedded in Lebanese life and she did not want her children to subscribe to this culture. "For me it is a personal choice but for them they have no place in this society. They don't subscribe to the grammar of this place," said Maria. Beirutis are in a state of shock at the renewed violence, which is reviving memories of the civil war which claimed more than 150,000 lives. RESILIENT CITY Like many others Karam believes that unless the Lebanese rebuild a state not based on religion, tackle the security vacuum and revive the comatose economy, the country will lurch from periods of growth and prosperity to periods of instability. Syria is the epicenter at the moment. Sectarian hostility is on the rise across the region. It began in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Muslim, and the takeover of power by majority Shi'ites. This shift in the balance of power reinforced the influence of Shi'ite Iran and revived historic tensions in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon and Syria. That ugly side was on display last week after the car bomb that killed Hassan, a Sunni Muslim opposed to the Syrian leadership. In Sunni neighborhoods, gunmen set up roadblocks of burning tires, stopping passers-by and asking whether they were Sunni or Shi'ite - a chilling throwback to the civil war. A Reuters cameraman was asked about his religion. Despite confirming he was Sunni he was prevented from filming because he was told he had a "Shi'ite beard". Sectarian anger boiled over, with protesters chanting slogans insulting Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. "The blood of Sunnis is boiling," they said. Yet despite all its troubles, there is a resilience to Beirutis, whose city could scarcely have survived without it. "Beirut has tremendous energy, it is a city that picks itself up in few hours. It is like a very ugly woman with lots of charm and lots of character, extremely imperfect," said Maria. "As imperfect as it is with all these people trying to live together, for better or for worse, they attempt to," she said. (Editing by Giles Elgood) ===================