Smoke billows in Tripoli's Bab al-Tabanneh neighborhood during clashes between Alawites, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, and anti-government supporters on Monday, October 22. Fighting continued in Tripoli and Beirut, where a top police official was killed in a car bombing. At least two people were killed in Tripoli and several wounded in Beirut.
(CNN) -- Assassinations of high-profile government figures are not new to Lebanon. Some result from gruesome car bombs, ripping through people and buildings along bustling streets in cities like Beirut.
For years, when such blasts occurred, Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan led the investigations. He was credited with overhauling his nation's intelligence forces, finding those responsible for targeted killings and preventing fresh attacks.
No more.
Al-Hassan and at least two others died in a massive explosion Friday in the typically peaceful and cosmopolitan Ashrafiyeh district of East Beirut that he called home.
Lebanon on edge after anti-Syrian intel official killed by Beirut car bomb
The attack -- in broad daylight, at one of the capital's busiest intersections -- was just the kind of thing the intelligence official worked so diligently to prevent. But beyond its potential impact on Lebanon's security, al-Hassan's life and death illustrates the deep political and religious fissures within Lebanese society -- fissures that could be widened amid spillover from Syria's bloody civil war.
"The person who was the master of uncovering these kind of things ... is gone," said Amal Mudallali, a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center who, like al-Hassan, is affiliated with Lebanon's "March 14" movement. "So unfortunately, the Lebanese are bracing for more assassinations."
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Al-Hassan was more than just Lebanon's top intelligence official.
He was an icon among many fellow Sunni Muslims, including those aligned with the opposition led by Saad Hariri, for his leadership and efforts in rooting out those responsible for targeted killings in Lebanon. But as much as he was loved by some, others despised him -- especially those backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and those affiliated with Hezbollah, the Shiite militant and political movement that has a prominent role in Lebanon's government. The U.S. government labels it a terrorist organization.
"This is a very polarizing figure," said Aram Nerguizian, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank who teaches in Beirut.
In his position with Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, al-Hassan tackled one of the nation's bloodiest and politically volatile attacks, which occurred on February 14, 2005, in Beirut's fashionable seaside Corniche district.
On that day, an explosive-laden truck detonated as the motorcade of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri -- Saad Hariri's father -- passed by, killing the dignitary and 22 others. As Hariri's chief of protocol, al-Hassan himself might have been among the dead had he not taken that day off to take a university exam.
Details from al-Hassan's investigation were shared with U.N. investigators, who concluded the assassination may have been linked to high-ranking Syrian officials (despite denials from Damascus). A U.N. tribunal went on to indict four Hezbollah members, and left the door open for more to be charged, though that group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, blamed Israel for Hariri's death.
Al-Hassan spearheaded several other investigations into a series of killings that targeted major anti-Syrian political figures. And he is credited with uncovering an Israeli spy network that involved Lebanese agents, including a top aide to Hezbollah's powerful Christian ally, Michel Aoun.
His latest big break, occurring in late August, came with the arrest of a former Lebanese minister and current member of parliament, Michel Samaha. Lebanese security forces claim a recording shows Samaha -- who has close ties with Damascus and is now in jail awaiting trial -- attempting to smuggle in explosives intended to be used in religious and political assassinations. Two Syrian security officers also were charged.
"Unfortunately, today, al-Hassan paid the price for his success," Saad Hariri said.
Twice in the years after Rafik Hariri's death, al-Hassan had skirted death. The second assassination attempt left one of his top aides, Wissam Eid, dead.
With his absence, others within Lebanon's security apparatus will step into his place.
Photos: Aftermath of the Beirut blast
But describing Friday as "a grim day," Mudallali said finding someone who can do the same thing as al-Hassan -- whom she lauds for his "great achievements" in unraveling complex cases -- will be difficult.
"I don't think Wissam al-Hassan -- somebody with his experience, with his background -- is going to be replaced very easily," she said.
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The coffin of intelligence chief Gen. Wissam al-Hassan arrives in downtown Beirut during his funeral procession on Sunday, October 21. Hassan, a prominent Lebanese figure opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, died when a powerful bomb exploded in an upmarket Beirut suburb on October 19, sparking calls for Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his government to quit.
An anti-government protester waves a pre-Baath Syrian flag at a demonstration outside the govermental palace in Beirut, Lebanon, after a funeral for al-Hassan and his bodyguard on Sunday. The two men and one other person were killed in a car bombing on Friday.
Demonstrators face off with Lebanese security forces on Sunday as they try to storm the palace.
Protesters climb a statue Sunday during the funeral of al-Hassan.
A demonstrator runs for cover from tear gas fired by Lebanese police on Sunday.
Anti-government protesters demonstrate outside the government palace on Sunday.
Protesters react to tear gas being fired at them by Lebanese police officers on Sunday.
Protesters hurled sticks, stones and flags on Sunday. A number of injuries were reported, Lebanon's National News Agency said.
Officers and mourners gather around al-Hassan's coffin during his funeral on Sunday.
The mother and wife of the slain intelligence officer mourn Sunday.
Lebanese officers of the Internal Security Forces carry the intelligence chief's coffin on Sunday.
Sunday's anti-government protests came after a series of political speeches given to the crowd gathered in Beirut's central square.
A Lebanese man holding the national flag watches the funeral procession on Sunday.
A woman with a cross and a rosary prays at a poster with an image of al-Hassan, during a protest Saturday, October 20, against his killing.
People set up tents and gather outside the headquarters of the Prime Minister of Lebanonon on Saturday night.
A damaged building is pictured in Beirut's predominantly Christian district of Ashrafiyeh on Saturday.
Smoke rises from burning tyres blocking the main northern entrance of Beirut on Saturday. Protesters blocked some roads in Beirut, Tripoli in the north, Sidon in the south, and the Bekaa Valley in the east.
Lebanese security forces inspect damage in Ashrafiyeh on Saturday.
A damaged building stands Saturday with windows knocked out and belongings from within strewn about.
A worker on Saturday sweeps shattered glass outside damaged shops.
Lebanese men block a road leading to the airport in Beirut to protest against the assassination of top intelligence official Wissam al-Hassan in a blast on Friday, October 19.
Lebanese light candles during a vigil near the site of the car bomb attack on Saturday.
Lebanese people take part in a candlelight vigil near the site of the car bomb blast.
A Lebanese firefighter douses cars at the site of an explosion in Beirut's Christian neighbourhood of Ashrafieh.
Lebanese firefighters douse burning vehicles.
A car burns after an explosion in Beirut's predominantly Christian district of Ashrafiyeh.
Lebanese Red Cross aid workers help a wounded man. Dozens were injured, some seriously, and others were slightly hurt, a senior hospital official said.
Lebanese security forces and rescue workers gather at the site of the explosion.
Lebanese men evacuate a wounded woman from the scene of the car bomb.
Lebanese police stand by a crater as they secure the site.
Civil defense members help a wounded man in the immediate aftermath.
A wounded woman is carried from the area. The attack did not target any political figure, the Lebanese National News Agency says.
A civil defense member helps a wounded man.
A wounded woman gets assistance.
A woman is helped by a Lebanese soldier after the explosion.
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