European countries, the United States and Syria condemned the car bombing in Beirut that killed eight people and wounded 86 more, stirring fears that the Syrian civil war could fan divisions in Lebanon.
The attack prompted two of Lebanon's top anti-Damascus political leaders to accuse Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the violence that claimed the life of the intelligence chief of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF), General Wissam al-Hassan.
"We accuse Bashar al-Assad of the assassination of Wissam al-Hassam, the guarantor of the security of the Lebanese," opposition chief Saad Hariri told a Lebanese TV station -- a view echoed by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a longtime critic of Damascus.
But Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi himself condemned the attack, saying that "these sort of terrorist, cowardly attacks are unjustifiable wherever they occur."
In Washington, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said there was no justification for the violence.
"It was a car bomb. We have no reason to believe it was not terrorism. We condemn this act of terrorism," she said.
French President Francois Hollande urged Lebanese officials to protect the country from "all attempts at destabilisation" and paid tribute to Hassan, "a man devoted to his country, its stability and its independence."
And at the Vatican, spokesman Federico Lombardi said the attack was "contrary to efforts and commitments to maintaining peaceful coexistence in Lebanon."
"It is to be hoped that this horrible event will not be an excuse for increased violence," Lombardi added.
Syria had been fingered over a series of assassinations between 2005 and 2008 of prominent Lebanese figures hostile to Damascus, including former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
The ISF was deeply involved in seeking the arrest of those responsible for Hariri's murder, along with the other assassinations.
The agency, which Hassan was tipped to head starting the end of the year, also played a central role in the arrest in August of former Lebanese information minister Michel Samaha, who has close links to Damascus and was charged with planning attacks in Lebanon and transporting explosives.
The incident comes as Syria is mired in a conflict between regime forces and the rebel opposition that has led to more than 34,000 deaths since March of last year.
Lebanon is divided over the Syria conflict, and there were concerns Friday that the bombing would fuel the divisions within the neighbouring country.
