Mobs attack Syrian workers in Lebanon

A mob attacked Syrian workers in southern Lebanon today and another group threw stones and set fires outside a Syrian government…

A mob attacked Syrian workers in southern Lebanon today and another group threw stones and set fires outside a Syrian government office in Beirut over the killing of former prime minister Rafik Hariri yesterday.

Syria has denied any involvement in Mr Hariri's assassination in the bombing, which raised fears that Lebanon might revert to the political violence of the 1970s and 1980s.

In Mr Hariri's hometown of Sidon on southern Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, dozens of demonstrators attacked Syrian workers, slightly wounding five before police intervened.

Hundreds of others marched in the streets. Black banners and pictures of the slain leader covered the streets as the country began three days of official mourning.

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The United States called Monday's attack "a terrible reminder" that Lebanon still must shake free of occupation by Syria, which maintains 15,000 troops here since the civil war ended in 1990 and has the final say in internal Lebanese politics.

Before his assassination, Mr Hariri had positioned himself in opposition to a faction more solidly backed by Syria.