Lebanese officials say a car bombing in central Beirut has killed former Finance Minister Mohamad Chatah and at least four others.
Chatah, a Sunni Muslim, was a respected economist and senior advisor to ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri. He previously served as the Lebanese ambassador to Washington.
VOA correspondent Margaret Besheer, who is in Beirut, says many observers see the 62-year-old Chatah as an unlikely assassination target.
"He is not a current member of the government. He's not a deputy in the parliament. He's not a current minister. When we've seen assassinations in Lebanon in the recent past, it's usually active members of government who are targeted or major political figures from important families."
Dozens of people were wounded in Friday's explosion, which occurred near government headquarters and left a thick cloud of black smoke rising above the city skyline. Video and social media showed terrified people running from the scene, with cars on fire and windows blown out.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing. But Lebanon has seen a recent increase in violence related to the bloody Syrian civil war that has spilled over the border.
Chatah was an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. His last message on Twitter, posted about hour before the car bombing, was critical of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has supported President Assad in the country's civil war.
The site of the assassination was not far from where ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the father of Saad Hariri, was killed in a truck bombing in 2005. Investigations have suggested Syria and Hezbollah were involved in that assassination. Both deny the accusation.
The Friday car bombing occurred just days before four Hezbollah members go on trial at a U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is investigating the Rafik Hariri assassination.
Chatah, a Sunni Muslim, was a respected economist and senior advisor to ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri. He previously served as the Lebanese ambassador to Washington.
VOA correspondent Margaret Besheer, who is in Beirut, says many observers see the 62-year-old Chatah as an unlikely assassination target.
"He is not a current member of the government. He's not a deputy in the parliament. He's not a current minister. When we've seen assassinations in Lebanon in the recent past, it's usually active members of government who are targeted or major political figures from important families."
Dozens of people were wounded in Friday's explosion, which occurred near government headquarters and left a thick cloud of black smoke rising above the city skyline. Video and social media showed terrified people running from the scene, with cars on fire and windows blown out.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing. But Lebanon has seen a recent increase in violence related to the bloody Syrian civil war that has spilled over the border.
Chatah was an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. His last message on Twitter, posted about hour before the car bombing, was critical of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has supported President Assad in the country's civil war.
The site of the assassination was not far from where ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the father of Saad Hariri, was killed in a truck bombing in 2005. Investigations have suggested Syria and Hezbollah were involved in that assassination. Both deny the accusation.
The Friday car bombing occurred just days before four Hezbollah members go on trial at a U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is investigating the Rafik Hariri assassination.