While the troops have gone home, Syrian intelligence officers remain to direct Hizballah agents to do their dirty work. NY Times:

An outspoken journalist known for his writings against Syria's presence in Lebanon was killed in a car bombing in Beirut today, raising tensions in Lebanon just four days after elections for a new Parliament began.

The bomb was placed in a vehicle outside the home of the journalist, Samir Kassir, in the predominantly Christian district of Ashrafiya. Mr. Kassir's body lay slumped on one side after the blast as fire crews arrived on the scene, witnesses said. The blast shattered windows in the nearby area.

Mr. Kassir, a columnist at the Lebanese daily An Nahar, was known for his opposition to Syria's role in Lebanon. He blamed Syria for the assassination on Feb. 14 of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and railed about that country's need to pull out of Lebanon. He also led a call for the resignation of Lebanon's pro-Syrian security chiefs.

Popular demonstrations and international pressure after the killing of Mr. Hariri finally ended Syria's nearly 30-year occupation, but questions remain about whether security agents are still in the country.

In his last column in An Nahar on Friday, Mr. Kassir criticized what he said was the unwillingness of Syria's government to enact rapid change, noting that reform for the governing Baathist Party "does not mean accepting opposing views."

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