The assassination in Beirut this morning of former Lebanese prime minister Mr Rafik al-Hariri has been widely condemned.
Mr al-Hariri's motorcade was blown up as it passed an exclusive section of the seafront, soon after he left a meeting at parliament to discuss elections in May.
Twelve others, including a number of Mr al-Hariri's bodyguards died in the attack. Former economy minister Basil Fuleihan was critically wounded.
The explosion, which happened at 12.55 pm (10.55 a.m. Irish time), left a deep crater in the road and damaged nearby buildings and cars. Officials said at least 100 people were wounded.
Former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafik Hariri
Mr Hariri, a billionaire businessman, resigned from government last October but remained politically influential. He recently joined calls by the opposition for Syrian troops to quit Lebanon in the run-up to a general election in May.
The Lebanese government called an emergency cabinet meeting and the country's supreme defence council - security cabinet ministers, senior leaders and military officials - met at the presidential palace.
It is not yet known who was behind the attack. However, arabic TV station, al-Jazeera, has aired a video tape in which an Islamist group claimed responsibility, citing Mr al-Hariri's ties with Saudi Arabia as the reason for the attack.
The President of Syria, Mr Bashar al-Assad, condemned the attack as a "terrible criminal act".
The White House also condemned the killing and said Lebanon should be free to pursue its political future free of violence and Syrian occupation.
However, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said he was not trying to link Syria with the bomb. He said Washington did not know who was responsible.
The French President Jacques Chirac called for an international inquiry into the attack.
Mr Rime Allaf, Middle East analyst at London's Royal Institute of International Affairs, said the attack was "the work of an intelligence service, not a small group.
"Whoever did it aimed at creating chaos in Lebanon and pointing the finger at Syria. I can't believe anyone in Syria could be naive enough to think that this would help them."