Baysour, Lebanon - Lebanon's rival leaders condemned the assassination of a pro-Syrian Druze sheikh, who was slain earlier Wednesday in a bomb blast in Baysour, south-east of Beirut. "This is a bloody message aimed at dividing the ranks of the Druze community," said Druze parliamentarian Wael abu Faour, who belongs to the parliamentary bloc of anti-Syrian Duze leader Walid Jumblatt.
A car bomb explosion on Wednesday killed Sheikh Saleh al-Aridi, a ranking official of Druze leader Talal Arslan's Lebanese Democratic Party.
Aridi, in his 50s, died instantly when the bomb ripped through his Mercedes in Baysour's square, a police official said.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora called for calm and described the assassination of Aridi as "an ugly crime, which is aimed at destabilizing the country."
Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian ruling majority and a close Jumblatt ally, telephoned Arslan shortly after the blast to denounce the "crime" and relay his condolences.
Red Cross volunteers at the scene said that six people including one woman were were wounded in the blast.
The state-run National News Agency said that the bomb was planted under the driver's seat of Aridi's car and detonated by remote control.
Ziad Choueiri, a key member of the LDP and close aide of Arslan, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur
