An Nahar's General-Manager Gibran Tueni held Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime "responsible from head to toe."

"Bashar Assad should not be allowed to have a single intelligence operative lingering in Lebanon," said Tueni, who was elected on Sunday as part of Saad Hariri's domination of the Parliamentary elections in Beirut.

"The Syrian regime is responsible from head to toe for this horrific terrorist crime. Lebanon's opposition should promptly close ranks anew to have every Syrian intelligence cell left behind in Lebanon ruthlessly smashed," Tueni said.

The victim's brother, Sleiman Kassir, said "Samir lived all his life in danger." He went on to say that the most likely reason for the assassination was that "he used to write all these articles against Syria."

MP Marwan Hamadeh was also targeted in a car bomb explosion in late 2004, which he miraculously survived. "We call for an urgent meeting of the (anti-Syrian) opposition and we call for the immediate resignation of (President Emile) Lahoud who heads the remains of the Syrian intelligence regime ... We call on the government to confront such crimes," said opposition MP Hamadeh.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the explosion, saying it "targeted security and freedom. We will not allow anyone to harm the security of the country."

Michel Aoun, began his news conference with a moment of silence, hailing Kassir as "one of the great journalists who never hesitated or was afraid to say the truth and defend Lebanon."

Saad Hariri released a statement calling Kassir's murder a "terrorist crime" and vowing to spare no effort to track down the assassins with "the same zest that I am struggling to uncover my father's killers."

"Syria's terrorism is still active in Lebanon," said columnist Nassir Asaad on Hariri's Future-TV network. "Syria's secret service is still entrenched in Lebanon."

Meanwhile, President Lahoud has been quoted as telling a French newspaper that he would not resign his post even if all 128 members of the new parliament demanded his departure. "I am not going to leave no matter what. They have to count on that," Lahoud said in an interview with Le Figaro.

Lahoud did not feel compelled to visit Hariri's grave, blaming "Israelis and Islamist fundamentalists" for the assassination.

Following the interview, Baabda released the following statement: "The Presidential Press Office denies that the President has given an interview to [Le Figaro] newspaper."

Full coverage from Ya Libnan:
* Lebanon protests another murder: Pictures from Martyrs' Square
* Lebanese Journalists pay tribute to murdered colleague
* Lebanon's murdered journalist: An open letter to the Lebanese
* Vigil held to honor slain journalist in Beirut
* France & Lebanon outraged for assassination of Lebanese Journalist
* Tragedy strikes again in Beirut
* Journalist targeted and killed in Beirut explosion
* Opposition blames Lahoud and Syria for latest assassination
* Anti-Syrian journalist murdered in Beirut
* Photographs of Samir Kassir's tragic crime scene

Sources: Ya Libnan, Naharnet,