Hundreds of mourners gathered at Our Lady of Lebanon cathedral in Harissa, northeast of Beirut, to pay their last respects to Gen. Francois al-Hajj and his bodyguard.
Hajj is the first military officer to be killed in a wave of assassinations that has targeted politicians and journalists, starting with former Prime Minster Rafik Hariri who died in a massive bombing in Beirut in February 2005.
Friday was declared a day of national mourning. Schools and universities were closed and flags flew at half-mast.
"Assassinations have continued without mercy for three years. Today, the hand of treachery has reached the army and its brave leaders," Christian Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir told mourners at Hajj's funeral ceremony. "This is a great tragic loss; it is not just about an officer but about a nation thrown into the wilderness."
For three years the country has slipped into its worst political crisis since the 15-year civil war ended in 1990 while politicians squabble over who should fill the post that was vacated Nov. 23 when pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud's term expired.
The pro-Western March 14 parliamentary majority lays the blame for the spate of assassinations on Syria, which backs the Hezbollah-led opposition, and accuses Damascus of obstructing a consensus on electing a head of state.
Damascus strongly condemned Hajj's murder and indirectly accused Israel of responsibility. Syria has consistently denied involvement in previous assassinations or interference in the present political disputes.
Sfeir, who heads the Maronite Church, Thursday inferred that Lebanese factions are receiving orders from Syria and Iran. He also insisted that there was no excuse for failing to elect a president, especially in light of the consensus that army commander, Gen. Michel Suleiman is the man for the post.
Hajj had been tipped to replace Suleiman if he becomes president. But the adversaries have been locked on amending the constitution to allow a serving public servant to assume the post.
According to Lebanon's confessional system, the president must be a Maronite, the prime minister a Sunni, and the House speaker a Shiite. But the Christian community has also been divided along political lines.
The army – which has so far remained united and outside the political maneuvers – promised to find the killers of Hajj, whose coffin, draped in the Lebanese flag, was later taken to his native southern village of Rmaish, near the border with Israel, for a burial ceremony.
Maj. Gen. Shawqi al-Masri, speaking on behalf the army command, said at the church funeral, attended by troops, family members, and somber-looking political leaders from the both rival camps: "Rest assured, O heroic martyr, that the military will not spare any effort in hunting down your assassins. Your blood will not be spilled in vain; it will pave the road to Lebanon's unity."
Defense Minister Michel Murr said Thursday there were "serious leads" in the investigation. But state prosecutor Saeed Mirza said Friday that no one had been formally arrested in connection with the murder, although several people had been detained for questioning, according to AFP news agency.
Regardless of who is behind Hajj's assassination, Lebanese analysts say the country will remain fertile ground for more assassinations unless politicians come to an agreement.
Parliament has postponed the election eight times and Monday's scheduled session is expected to be delayed again amid signs that negotiations between the majority and opposition are becoming even more complicated.
The opposition Thursday authorized Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun -- said to be driving a hard bargain after agreeing to Suleiman's candidacy -- to handle negotiations over amending the constitution. House speaker Nabih Berri of the Shiite Amal movement had so far been negotiating on behalf of the opposition with majority leader Saad Hariri.
The ruling March 14 alliance sees the move as another stalling tactic by the opposition, particularly because Aoun refuses to discuss amending the constitution for the presidency before he first wins acceptance to a host of other issues related to the form and agenda of the next cabinet.
The pro-Western camp also criticized the delegation of Aoun, a former army general, as an attempt to absolve the Shiite groups, backed by Syria and Iran, of any responsibility for obstructing the president's election and to portray the presidential crisis as a purely internal Christian conflict.
Many Lebanese now expect the president's seat to remain vacant to the end of the year, but they continue to hope for a miracle that would take them into 2008 without further assassinations or violence.