Beirut braces for violence

Tensions were high in Beirut Sunday amid fears of violence during the funeral of bomb victim Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, officials said. The 47-year-old intelligence chief was among eight killed in a massive car bombing Friday that ripped the balconies off buildings and wounded more110 people. Police and soldiers were deployed in Beirut, where thousands were gathering at Martyrs' Square to express anger about the bombing, The (Beirut) Daily Star reported. Buses were chartered across the country to bring people to the capital. Hasan's death raised concern that a series of assassinations that swept through Beirut between 2004 t0 2008 may return, the newspaper said. Hours after Friday's bombing, protesters blocked roads and set tires on fire. Ali Hamade -- a member of the March 14 Coalition formed by political parties and independents in 2005 against Syrian intervention in Lebanon -- told al-Arabiya the car bombing was a warning sent by Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop supporting the Syrian opposition groups. "The Syrian crisis will explode to the neighboring counties if the international community will keep in supporting the Syrian rebels," Hamade said. Hasan's death could also jeopardize the government formed last year after the collapse of the government under Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the newspaper said. Prime Minister Najib Mikati Saturday reneged on a previous decision to resign, giving President Michel Sleiman time to consult the National Dialogue Committee on the matter. Hasan will be buried beside former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who died in a Beirut car bombing in 2005.