Hundreds of Lebanese came out in pouring rain Friday for a farewell ceremony for one of the country's top generals, whose killing has raised fears that even the respected army is not immune to the country's ongoing violence. - Pro-government and opposition politicians put aside their deep divisions and attended the funeral service in Beirut for Maj.-Gen. Francois Hajj. - Hajj and his driver were killed Wednesday in a car bombing. Authorities are looking into possible involvement of Al-Qaeda-inspired Sunni Muslim extremists seeking vengeance on Hajj, who led a major offensive against Islamic militants last summer. - Hajj's casket was carried in the pouring rain from the military hospital to his house in suburban Baabda, near the site of the car bombing. Hundreds lined the procession route. - The army guard played sombre music as the flag-draped coffin was taken to Maronite Catholic basilica for an official service. The casket will later be driven to his southern hometown of Rmeish near the Israeli border for burial. - Hajj's slaying came as Lebanon experiences its latest political crisis - a dispute over electing the new president. - The post has been vacant since Emile Lahoud's term ended Nov. 23 because the Western-backed government and its opposition, led by pro-Syrian Hezbollah, have been unable to agree on a successor. - At Hajj's funeral, a bishop read a message from Pope Benedict XVI condemning the "unjustified violence" and calling on Lebanese politicians to reconcile. - In a eulogy, the military chief of staff, Maj.-Gen. Shawki Masri, vowed the army would "not rest until the murderers are apprehended and punished" and called for the government and opposition to work together to end the deadlock. - "In unity, we will have the strength and we can achieve the impossible," said Masri, the highest-ranking Muslim officer from the Druse sect. String of assassina...
Hundreds of Lebanese came out in pouring rain Friday for a farewell ceremony for one of the country...
