 Syria condemned the assassination of a prominent anti-Syrian Lebanese politician on Tuesday, calling the shooting of Pierre Gemayel a "despicable crime." The Syrian state news agency SANA denounced the assassination, quoting an anonymous Syrian official, as it often does when reporting the government reaction. "This despicable crime aims to destroy stability and peace in Lebanon," the statement quoted the official as saying, affirming Syria's keenness on Lebanon's stability, security and unity, and to sustain its civil peace. |