Christian leader of anti-Syrian faction murdered in Lebanon

Iran and Syria made a further move to consolidate their control over Lebanon today withthe execution style murder of Christian politician Pierre Gemayel, who was assassinated today in Jdeideh, a Beirut suburb.

Gemayel was the head of the Christian Phalange Party, and a leader of the anti-Syria/Iran/Hezbollah faction. Gemayel is the fifth prominent anti-Syrian figure in Lebanon to be assassinated since Rafik Hariri was killed in a 2005 car bombing.

The Gemayel family has been prominent in Lebanese politics for some time. Pierre Gemayel's father, Amin Gemayel was a former president back when Lebanon was democratic and it's Christians were still numerous enough to affect an election.

Gemayel's uncle, Bashir Gemayel was a president-elect who was assasinated in 1982 before he took office, by pretty much the same folks that just murdered his nephew.

Gemayel’s assassination was meant to send a message to Lebanese PM Siniora and anyone else in his government who might have ideas about opposing the Iran/Syria/Hezbollah takeover of the country. Hezbollah and its allies, have already quit Siniora’s government and have already announced that they are planning huge street `protests' for this Thursday.

The fact that Gemayal is the most prominent Christian leader is also no accident. Lebanon, which was once a majority Christian country now has, at best, a Christian population of less than 30%. As Lebanese American writer Brigitte Gabriel has said, there are now more Maronite Christians outside of Lebanon then in the country itself and most of those who were able to leave have already left. This is a precursor to a Shiite takeover of the country.

Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian coalition in Lebanon’s parliament and son of murdered former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has already accused Syria of involvement in the assassination, saying on CNN that “the hand of Syria” was all over the murder.

Ironically, Hariri was informed of the assassination as he was holding a press conference in which he accused Syria of trying to stonewall the international tribunal judging the various political assassinations it carried out in Lebanon through its Lebanese allies since 2004...including that of Hariri's father.