Prominent anti-Syrian Christian cabinet minister, Pierre Gemayel, was assassinated in his car on Tuesday after leaving church. Witnesses claim one vehicle cut off his car from the front, another rammed him from behind, then gunmen burst out and sprayed a dozen bullets into his passenger-side window. Gemayel�s death comes at a time when tensions are already high between Christian and Muslim politicians after the Israeli offensive into Lebanon which claimed the lives of over 1,000 people.

Small groups of angry Christians broke windows and set fires in Beirut, where the assassination took place, and in Gemayel�s hometown of Bikfaya. However, Amin Gemayel, Pierre’s father and leader of the Phalange Party, urged supporters to observe a night of “prayer and reflection.” Outside the hospital where his son died, Gemayel said, “We don’t want an outburst of emotions and revenge. He was martyred for the cause of Lebanon, and we want this cause to triumph. … To all those who love Pierre, we should not be driven by instinct.”

President Bush accused Syria and Iran of seeking to undermine Lebanon’s government, but stopped short of specifically blaming them for Gemayel’s assassination. US ambassador to the UN, John R. Bolton, did go a step further and raise the possibility. However, both Syria and Iran condemned Gemayel’s slaying.

Syria’s Information Minister, Mohsen Bilal, denied Syria had any role in the murder. “Those who are accusing Syria in this sick way … do not have an iota of truth or credibility,” he said. Damascus issued a statement which called the murder a “despicable crime” aimed at destroying the stability, security, and unity of Lebanon.

After Israel�s summer war with Lebanon, pro-Syrian groups like Hezbollah have enjoyed greater support from Lebanon�s Shiite Muslim population. Recently, 5 pro-Syrian ministers in the government resigned because they were not given veto power. Prime Minister Saniora�s government is now dominated by anti-Syrian politicians. Gemayel joins the ranks of 5 other anti-Syrian figures murdered in the past 2 years, including former Prime Minister Rafik Harri. Around 300 supporters at the hospital where Gemayel died called for vengeance, chanting slogans against Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, and Hezbollah’s Christian ally, Michel Aoun.

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Update: I recently found an article (in English) about a parcel containing rifle silencers which was addressed to an American diplomat working for the US embassy in Lebanon. These silencers are assumed to be the same used in the assassination of Pierre Gemayel. This link may suggest that the US had something to do with the shooting and is using Syria as the scapegoat. Inflamed anti-Syrian division works to the advantage of American interests in Lebanon.