At least five people, including a prominent anti-Syrian politician, have been killed by a car bomb blast in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
The killing of Antoine Ghanem is the latest in a string of attacks in recent years against prominent critics of Lebanon's neighbour and former power broker Syria.
The 64-year-old had been a member of parliament since 2000 and was the eighth member of the ruling anti-Syrian majority to be assassinated since the 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
The explosion, which occurred days before the Lebanese parliament convenes to elect a new president, occurred in a Christian suburb of the city.
The new president will succeed Syrian-backed Emile Lahoud amid a near-complete political deadlock between the Western-backed ruling majority and the pro-Damascus opposition.
Both the UN Security Council and the US have condemned the attack, with the UNSC denouncing the bombing as an attempt to destabilise Lebanon in what it said was a 'very crucial period'.
