Armed gunmen battled on the streets of the Lebanese capital last night after the funeral of an assassinated Lebanese spy chief descended into chaos, as the killing strained Lebanon's fragile political stability.
Security forces fired tear gas and bullets to disperse throngs of enraged protesters who attempted to storm the headquarters of Prime Minister Najib Mikati shortly after the flag-draped coffins of Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan and his body guard – killed in a car bomb on Friday – were laid to rest in central Beirut.
Though the security situation downtown appeared to be largely under control by nightfall, fighting erupted in the suburb of Tariq al-Jadideh, where supporters and adversaries of the Syrian government clashed in May. The disorder soon spread with rocket propelled grenades fired in nearby Cola, a busy transport intersection, according to local news outlets.
With accusations that Syrian hands were behind the assassination and anger at the government's perceived closeness to the regime, the violence fuels concern that the country will not be able to insulate itself from the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
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