The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Beirut

A suspected car bomb in a Lebanese Christian town east of Beirut killed a senior army officer and at least four other people on Wednesday, security sources said.

Dozens were wounded in the blast in Baabda, the site of the country's presidential palace on the outskirts of the capital.

The sources said Brigadier General Francois al-Hajj, head of operations, was killed. Hajj was tipped to be the next army chief after current commander General Michel Suleiman takes over as president.

A military spokesman could neither confirm or deny that Hajj had died but said the explosion killed military personnel.

"All those killed were soldiers," he said. The 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) blast hurled Hajj's car off the road and set several other vehicles ablaze. Several buildings nearby were damaged.

Scores of soldiers cordoned off the area as firefighters and rescue workers put out the fires and rushed the wounded to nearby hospitals.

On Monday, Lebanon's parliament speaker postponed a presidential election to December 17, the 8th delay of a vote repeatedly put off over differences between the anti-Syrian governing coalition and the opposition backed by Damascus.