BICOM

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has rebuffed calls to refer the investigation into the killing of a security chief last Friday to an international tribunal.

General Wissam al-Hassan was killed by a car bomb in Beirut on Friday and although nobody has taken responsibility for the attack, al-Hassan was known to be a fierce opponent of Syrian influence in Lebanon. The killing sparked several days of violence between supporters of the country’s two largest political coalitions, resulting in eleven deaths. Shiite groups, including Hezbollah, dominate the Lebanese government and have stood by Syrian President Assad’s regime, while the Sunni-led opposition backs the rebels seeking to topple the Syrian government.

Given the split, Lebanese opposition leaders are questioning the ability of the country’s institutions to remain impartial in investigating al-Hassan’s death. The Independent quotes opposition MP Michel Pharaon who said, “We have serious worries about the investigation… There are pressures on the judiciary and we demanded that the government refer this to the special [international] tribunal and that hasn’t happened.”

Prime Minister Mikati has refused to acquiesce to opposition demands over the investigation. The opposition bloc has called on Mikati and his cabinet to resign, but he has so far shown no signs of stepping aside. Although the violence in Lebanon appears to have abated for now in the northern city of Tripoli and the capital Beirut, fears remain that it could be reignited by increased political instability and tension.