Lebanon To Bury Slain Intelligence Official
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Lebanon's political opposition has called for a mass turnout for Sunday's funeral for senior Lebanese intelligence officer Wissam al-Hassan to potentially create a political rally against Syrian authorities and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Reuters reported. 
(Eusebius, Creative Commons)
Hassan, who openly opposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was killed on Friday after a car bomb exploded in Beirut’s Ashrafiyeh district, killing seven other people and wounding 80.
Former prime minister Saad al-Hariri blamed Assad for the bombing and Lebanon's political opposition demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose government includes Syria's Shi'ite Muslim ally Hezbollah, the Chicago Tribune reported.
In a speech after the cabinet held an emergency meeting on Saturday, Mikati said that while he wanted to resign, he had accepted a request by President Michel Suleiman to stay in office, adding that Lebanon needed to remain unified, strong and secure, BBC News reported.
During his speech, Mikati stopped short of blaming Assad directly for the assassination of Hassan, but said he believed Hassan’s death was linked to his role in uncovering Syrian involvement in an earlier bomb plot.
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