Jumblatt called him "the voice of freedom" and accused Syria of killing him.

Tueni was one of the leading media figures to criticize Syria in 2000 following the Israeli withdrawal out of southern Lebanon after 21 year occupation. He wrote an "open letter" to the late President Hafez al-Assad's son and future successor, Bashar.

"You must realize that many Lebanese are uncomfortable with Syrian policies in Lebanon and with the presence of Syrian troops in the country," he wrote.

"Many Lebanese consider Syria's behavior in Lebanon to be completely at odds with the principles of sovereignty, dignity, and independence."

At the time, with a large force of Syrian troops and intelligence agents stationed around Lebanon, even mentioning "discomfort" about Syria was considered a remarkably direct critique. No one dared to criticize Syria!

The letter sparked much debate in Lebanon, long before UN Security Council resolution 1559 and the February assassination of Rafik Hariri put the issue near the top of the international agenda.

In the wake of the "Cedar Revolution", Mr Tueni crossed the line from political writing to politics, winning a Greek Orthodox seat in parliament.

Although he stopped writing his signature anti-Syrian editorials in An-Nahar, the paper kept up a strong opposition editorial line throughout the campaign.

In June, An-Nahar's prominent columnist, Samir Kassir, was killed by a bomb in his car ... one of a series of assassinations that have shaken Lebanon in the last year.

Mr Tueni's uncle, Communications Minister and MP Marwan Hamadeh (who is Druze) survived an attempt on his life in 2004, in what was considered the first of more than a dozen related bomb attacks. Hamade is often referred to as "The Living Martyr."

Many Lebanese have blamed Syria or its supporters for the bombings, although Damascus has strongly denied involvement.

So great did the threat of the bombings later become that Mr. Tueni fled to France in August along with a number of other prominent anti-Syrian figures.

Reports say he returned the night before the attack that killed him.

In August he told French radio that a hit list of Lebanese political figures had been unearthed by the UN-appointed investigation into the Hariri assassination. "My name is on top of this list," he said at the time.

Tueni 48 is survived by his wife Siham Ossaili and his four daughters Nayla, Michelle, Gabriella and Nadia.

Sources: Ya Libnan , Naharnet, Agencies