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The Khazen family offers its deepest condoleances to the families of the martyrs General Francois Hajj, and Khairallah Hedwan . BEIRUT — A car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top generals and at least two other people Wednesday, the military and state media said, putting even more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation. The target of the attack, Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, a top Maronite Catholic in the command, was considered a leading candidate to succeed the head of the military, Gen. Michel Suleiman, if Suleiman is elected president. Hajj, 55, also led a major military campaign against Islamic militants over the summer. The blast is the first such attack against the Lebanese army, which has remained neutral in Lebanon’s yearlong political crisis and is widely seen as the only force that can hold the country together amid the bitter infighting between parliament’s rival factions. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem denounced the "criminal attack" on Hajj. "We condemn any action that threatens Lebanon," he said. Hajj helped lead an army onslaught on al Qaedainspired 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.
The main Christian opposition leader, Michel Aoun told reporters that he had supported Hajj to succeed Suleiman as army commander. Aoun, a former head of the military, praised Hajj and said it was "shameful" for political forces to take advantage of the crime. "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. Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, speaking to AP Television News, accused the "Syrian-Iranian axis" of hitting the military, "the only body in Lebanon who can balance the power of Hezbollah and other militias in the country." But the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah, which has good relations with the army, denounced the killing. It called Hajj’s death a "great national loss" and praised the military’s "great national role" in preserving security. The White House denounced the killing. "We strongly condemn the assassination of Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj. This is a crucial time as Lebanon seeks to maintain a democratically elected government and select a new president," said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe. "President Bush will continue to stand with the Lebanese people as they counter those who attempt to undermine their security and freedom." Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem denounced the "criminal attack" on Hajj. "We condemn any action that threatens Lebanon," he said.
"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. The slaying of Hajj and its timing amid the deadlock over the presidency raised immediate speculation over who was behind the bombing, which blasted Hajj’s SUV as he drove through a busy street of Baabda district. Security sources said 35 kg (77 lb) of explosives packed into an olive-green BMW car were detonated by remote control as Hajj’s four-wheel-drive vehicle drove by. 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." Arab and Western states fear a prolonged vacuum in the presidency could further destabilize Lebanon, where rival camps have accused each other of rearming and training fighters. Hajj, a father of three, will be buried at his hometown on Friday.
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Kafa el-Alam, right, the mother of Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, a top Maronite Catholic in the Lebanese military command, who was killed in an explosion outside the municipality building in the town of Baabda, east of Beirut, holds his picture as she mourns with other relatives at the family house in the southern village of Rmeish, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. A car bombing Wednesday killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least two others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, an attack further destabilizing a nation in a deep political crisis. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 5:17 AM
A Lebanese woman, a relative of Lebanese Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, head of military operations in the army command, mourns near his family house in the southern village of Rmeish, as she holds his picture after he was killed in a bomb explosion outside a municipal building in Baabda, an eastern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. A car bombing Wednesday killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least two others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, an attack further destabilizing a nation in a deep political crisis. (AP Photo/Lotfallah Daher)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 4:16 AM
Lebanon’s Brigadier General Francois El-Hajj, seen here in March 2007, was among at least four people killed in a car bomb that targeted the military in a Christian suburb on the outskirts of Beirut.(AFP/File/Joseph Barrak)
AFP/File via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 4:28 AM
Lebanese soldiers remove the body of Brigadier General Francois El-Hajj from the site of a car bomb attack in Baabda. The general was among at least four people killed in a bombing that targeted the military in a Christian suburb on the outskirts of Beirut.(AFP)
AFP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 4:28 AM
Soldiers carry the body of Brigadier General Francois al-Hajj near the site of an explosion in the Christian town of Baabda, east of Beirut, December 12, 2007. A car bomb killed the Lebanese general in a wealthy Christian suburb near Beirut on Wednesday, removing a leading contender to take over as army chief from General Michel Suleiman when he becomes president. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON)
Reuters via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 1:19 AM
Lebanon’s Brigadier General and head of operations Francois al-Hajj poses in this September 4, 2007 file photo. A suspected car bomb in a Lebanese Christian town east of Beirut killed Hajj and at least four other people on December 12, 2007, security sources said. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi/Files (LEBANON)
Reuters via Yahoo! News – Dec 11 11:08 PM
Laudi Hajj, left, the wife of assassinated Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, head of military operations in the army command, mourns as she is comforted by a relative in a church in the town of Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. An early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least three others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)
Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, head of military operations in the army command, left, gestures as he speaks with Defense Minister Elias Murr, right, during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon in this Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007 file photo. An early morning car bomb attack killed Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj and others in his car, Wednesday Dec. 12, 2007, as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo/Ahmad Omar, File)
Two Lebanese soldiers stand guard in the southern village of Rmeish, near the family home of Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, a top Maronite Catholic in the Lebanese military command, who was killed in an explosion outside the municipality building in the town of Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. A car bombing Wednesday killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least two others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, an attack further destabilizing a nation in a deep political crisis. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 5:39 AM
Lebanese soldiers secure the site of an explosion in the Christian town Baabda, east of Beirut, December 12, 2007. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
Reuters via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 5:16 AM
A Lebanese soldier stands near a burning car after a bomb exploded in a Christian suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. The early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals, Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, and others in his car, as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 3:52 AM
Lebanese soldiers and emergency personnel work near damaged cars after a bomb exploded in a Christian suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. The early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals, Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, and others in his car, as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said.(AP Photo/Ahmad Omar)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 3:29 AM
A Lebanese soldier stands guard near a damaged car after a bomb exploded in a Christian suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. The early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals, Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, and others in his car, as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said.(AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 3:31 AM
Lebanese soldiers work at the scene of a bomb explosion, with debris strewn over the area near damaged cars after the bomb exploded in a Christian suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. The early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and others in the car, as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting more
Lebanese soldiers work at the scene of a bomb explosion, with debris strewn over the area near damaged cars after the bomb exploded in a Christian suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. The early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and others in the car, as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said.(AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 2:55 AM
Lebanese soldiers and police seal off the area after a bomb exploded in a Christian suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. An early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and others in the car, as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said.(AP Photo)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 2:57 AM
Lebanese soldiers and police seal off the area near damaged cars after a bomb exploded in a Christian suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. An early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and others in the car, as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo/Ahmad Omar)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 2:53 AM
Lebanese soldiers seal off the area near damaged cars as they inspect the scene after a bomb exploded outside a municipal building in Baabda, an eastern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. An early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least three others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 2:09 AM
A Lebanese soldier, right, in civilian clothes, mourns the death of Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, the head of military operations in the army command, who was killed in an explosion outside a municipal building in Baabda, an eastern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. An early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least three others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo/Ahmad Omar)
A Lebanese soldier inspects a section of a damaged car after a bomb exploded outside a municipal building in Baabda, an eastern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. An early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least three others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo/Ahmad Omar)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 2:06 AM
Lebanese soldiers seal off the area near damaged cars after a bomb exploded outside a municipal building in Baabda, an eastern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. An early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least three others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo/Ahmad Omar)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 1:43 AM
Lebanese soldiers carry the body of Brig. Gen. Francois Hajj, head of military operations in the army command, after he was killed in a bomb explosion that targeted him outside a municipal building in Baabda, an eastern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. An early morning car bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least three others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Lebanese soldiers stand near burning cars after a bomb exploded outside a municipal building in Baabda, an eastern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. An early morning bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least three others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 12:59 AM
A Lebanese security man stands near burning cars after a bomb exploded outside a municipal building in Baabda, an eastern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. An early morning bomb attack killed one of Lebanon’s top military generals and at least three others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country’s delicate political situation, the military and state media said. (AP Photo)
AP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 1:01 AM
Soldiers secure the site of an explosion in the Christian town of Baabda, east of Beirut, December 12, 2007. A car bomb killed a Lebanese general in a wealthy Christian suburb near Beirut on Wednesday, removing a leading contender to take over as army chief from General Michel Suleiman when he becomes president. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A Lebanese soldier gestures to reporters at the site of a car bomb in Baabda. Lebanon‘s Brigadier General Francois El-Hajj was among at least four people killed by a car bomb that targeted the military in a Christian suburb on the outskirts of Beirut.(AFP)
AFP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 2:33 AM
Vehicles burn at the site of a car bomb attack in Baabda. Lebanon‘s Brigadier General Francois El-Hajj was among at least four people killed by a car bomb that targeted the military in a Christian suburb on the outskirts of Beirut.(AFP)
AFP via Yahoo! News – Dec 12 2:36 AM
