Political divisions in Lebanon grow

• Tweet

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A Lebanese opposition movement said it would boycott the government amid continued tensions following an October bombing blamed on Syria.

Members of the opposition March 14 coalition, led by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, said they suspected Syria was behind an October bombing in Beirut that left a top intelligence official dead.

Marwan Hamadeh, a March 14 lawmaker, said the coalition was ignoring calls from parliamentary leaders to reconvene next week.

"We will not attend the parliamentary session called for by House Speaker Nabih Berri on Nov. 27," he was quoted by The Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon as saying.

Hariri is the son of former Prime Minister Rafik Hairi, assassinated in a massive bombing in Beirut in 2005. The attack in part led to a revolution in Lebanon that ended a grip that Damascus held on Beirut for about 30 years.

Lebanon has been on edge as the civil war in neighboring Syrian moves toward its 19th month. March 14 blames the ruling March 8 coalition, which includes lawmakers from Hezbollah, for much of the political tension.