MEMRI,,,,,,,,,,,,Lebanon on brink of civil war

"A group calling themselves "Fighters for the Unity of Al-Sham [Greater Syria] and its Liberty" took responsibility for the assassination in a communiqué that read: "Allah granted us success today as well, in the assassination of the agent Pierre Gemayel, one of those who unceasingly spouted their venom against Syria and against the Resistance [i.e. Hizbullah], shamelessly and without any trepidation. This is the fate of the traitors, agents, and hired hands who do no hesitate to belittle Lebanon's unity, liberty, integrity, and future for the sake of the enemy's interests. All of those who harm those people who have paid the steep price for the Arabs and for Lebanon - may their voices be silent and may their mouths be mute. We crossed out this agent [Pierre Gemayel] from the list of our targets, and sooner or later we will pay the rest of the agents their due..." [1]

Sa'd Al-Hariri, head of the majority "Al-Mustaqbal" faction in parliament and son of assassinated former Lebanese PM Rafiq Al-Hariri, responded to Pierre Gemayel's assassination, saying: "[The Syrians] want to murder every free man and to renew the series of murders they promised." In an interview with CNN, he added: "We think that Syria's hands were in this crime, since in a few days there is supposed to be a second round [in the Security Council to ratify the establishment of] an international tribunal [to judge the assassination of Rafiq Al-Hariri], and Syria is trying to evade this." [2] Other senior figures in the "March 14 Forces" also blamed the murder on the Syrian regime."