A car bomb hit the motorcade of Lebanon’s outgoing deputy prime minister Tuesday, wounding him and killing at least one other person, officials said. A string of bombings has hit Lebanon this year, but this was the first aimed at a pro-Syrian politician.

The blast left one vehicle a charred and twisted wreck and damaged several others in the motorcade of Elias Murr , who is also the outgoing defense minister. Murr, who was slightly wounded, later released an audiotape from the hospital saying his was all right. At least 12 other people, including the Mexican ambassador’s wife, were also wounded, officials said.

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Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday’s Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• German intelligence believes that Zarqawi is planning a chemical weapons attack in Europe.

• Another 2,000 Syrian troops have left Lebanon. Lebanese defence officials say that the Lebanese army is not able to fill the void. The Lebanese military intelligence chief is taking a leave of absence. Debka reports that the pro-Syrian security apparatus has collapsed. Karami is going to resign again. Jumblatt doesn’t want Hezbollah to disarm, and wants to stay friends with Syria and Hezbollah.

• The U.S. is courting India in a big way. First, F-16s to be assembled in India. Second, a pipeline deal.

• More disturbing evidence about the links between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front, and Abu Sayyaf.

• Egypt has charged three Egyptian men with the murders of 34 people killed when tourist sites on the Sinai were attacked.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran opens nuke site to media; Hamas trained in Syria; Ikhwan for Mubarak; Iraqi soldiers take on more responsibility; Aryans and jihadis; Islamic jihadi schools?; the threat from gangs; another 3/11 plotter nabbed; ETA cache found; Jewish shop bombed; Kim may meet Bush in Russia; Hyundai cash helps NK nukes; LeT men killed; Abu Sayyaf lose men, boat; Algerian jihadi leader killed; Darfur toll 300,000; and more.

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A bomb exploded in an industrial zone in Beirut on Saturday, said the mayor of the mainly Christian neighborhood where the blast occurred. The explosions turned several buildings into raging infernos and wounded at least three Asian workers.

Antoine Gebara, mayor of the northeastern Beirut area of Bouchrieh , said police had been tipped off about a car bomb earlier in the evening and were looking for a vehicle. However, he said the explosion was the result of a bomb placed at the site.

“It appears it is an explosive charge that was placed there,” Gebara told leading Lebanese TV station, LBC.

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Arthur Chrenkoff has a roundup of good news from the Islamic world, in this “special pro-democracy edition.” In contrast to the Western world, of course, where reactionary rallies hostile to liberty were the order of the day on the 2-year anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Western rallies have shrunk tremendously, however, while the rallies in the the Islamic world range from “growing” to “freakin’ huge”.

As David Rivkin and Glenn Sulmasy note, freedom is Contagious.

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. In addition, we also have our in-depth Iraq Report today.

Today’s Winds of War briefing is brought to you by Bill Roggio of the fourth rail and evariste of Discarded Lies.

Top Topics

• A member of the Israeli parliament that works closely on defense issues states that Israel will only attack Iran “as a last resort”. Israel has plans for a combined attack on the Natanz nuclear facility, including raids by the storied Kingfisher commando unit and bunker-busters dropped from F-15s. Ariel Sharon and his inner cabinet gave preliminary approval for a plan to strike last month in a meeting at his ranch.

• Secret FBI report (if it’s so secret why do we know what’s in it?): Al Qaeda can’t hit us spectacularly any more. Condi: don’t be so quick to write them off. Interpol: Al Qaeda still formidable. FBI chief Mueller is concerned about Al Qaeda members crossing the border with fake IDs. And what hope is there, really, to block fake IDs when authorities admit that college students are always one step ahead of them?

• Zarqawi’s thoughts on attacking the US mainland are disturbing, as he ponders hitting “soft” targets like schools and restaurants.

• This Daily Star editorial looks at Hezbollah’s poor strategizing in siding with Syria over the Lebanese it claims to represent.

• America’s still putting the heat on Syria as the first Syrian troops returned home from Lebanon. And not only America…even Russia.

Other Topics Today Include:

• Iranian nuclear games: Roulette; Fun in Palestine; Nour free at last; Legitimizing Hezbollah?; The Homeland update; Aryans hearts Islamists; The Blind Sheikh still can speak to his flock; GPSC thinks big; The Nigerian Time-bomb; JI heart MILF; China hearts hates Taiwan; Khan!!!!!!; The dangers of outsourcing, to the Indians; New sheriff in Chechnya; A variety of European failures on the policing front; Kofi hearts Hezbollah; UN Peacekeepers heart Rape; Terrorist marketing strategies; and much, much more…

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Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday’s Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• Lebanon news comes top, of course. Ha’aretz has this on their ticker: Syria beefing up its military forces near Beirut. Assad says he’s pulling troops out of Lebanon very soon. Not soon enough for President Bush. Publius Pundit has a briefing that takes us to March 1st. I admit to being something of a pessimist regarding the ‘Cedar Revolution’. I don’t trust Jumblatt, in part due to things like this: he wants Hezbollah to act as an intermediary. An MP who attended the meeting with Hezbollah said: “We hope our meetings come up with results that can protect Lebanon’s democracy and freedom.” Does anyone honestly believe that Hezbollah are interested in freedom and democracy? Syria has shown no intention of withdrawing the one million Syrian labourers in Lebanon who are propping up Syria’s economy. Syria has replaced the head of the Mukhabarat in Lebanon - no signs of their leaving, either.

• Abu Bakar Bashir has been sentenced to two and a half years in jail for approving the murder of 202 people.

• Ukrainian intelligence has arrested a man with a briefcase of uranium at Kiev airport.

• The Madrid bombers had plans to bomb Grand Central Station in New York, according to El Mundo. Spanish intelligence took nine months to pass this information on to the United States.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran to join WTO?; sites off-limits to IAEA; blogger arrested; truck bomb thwarted; Qassams in J&S; Hofstad leader in Syria; the return of al-Sadr; sanctions on Saudi?; BAe warns of imminent AQ attack; Zarqawi ordered to attack abroad; charge Padilla or release him; Hamas could attack U.S.; jihadi web network in London; France sends troop ship to eastern Med; Pearl conspirator caught; LeT murder villager; Abu Sayyaf killed, surrender; and much more.

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A bomb targeting the motorcade of Lebanon’s most prominent politician killed at least nine people on Monday along this city’s famed seafront boulevard.

Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was believed to have survived, but at least one of his bodyguards was among those killed, witnesses said.

Hariri was believed unhurt in the Monday blast, said Bassem Yammout, a Lebanese legislator who arrived at the scene and spoke to The Associated Press.

The private Lebanese Broadcasting Corp., however, said Hariri was taken to a hospital.

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Update:

New reports say that Hariri was killed in the attack:

Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed Monday in a massive bomb explosion that ravaged his motorcade, the country’s official news agency said.

The news agency, quoting a statement from American University Hospital, said Hariri arrived dead at the hospital, his body mutilated in the massive explosion.

Nine other people were also killed in the massive blast, and 100 injured, the news agency said.

Hariri’s official website is here, though it seems to be down at the moment.

Hariri’s bio here.