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Dozens were wounded in the explosion, which left people with their clothes on fire and others lying on the ground, bloodied and in shock, as ambulances and security forces raced to the scene and plumes of smoke rose over the capital's skyline.
Mohammad Chatah, 62, was killed in the blast as he headed to a meeting of the March 14 coalition at the mansion of ex-premier Saad Hariri.
Chatah, an influential economist, former finance minister and ex-envoy to Washington, had served as adviser to ex-premier Fuad Siniora and remained a close aide to his successor, Hariri, who has lived abroad since 2011 for security reasons.
Hariri's father, billionaire ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, was killed in a massive seafront blast in 2005 just blocks away from Friday's explosion, in an assassination his supporters blamed on Syria.
State news agency NNA said more than 50 people were wounded and more than 10 buildings badly damaged by the blast, which officials said was caused by 50-60 kilos (110-132 pounds) of explosives.
The March 14 coalition implied Damascus and Hezbollah were behind the attack without naming them, saying in a statement that "the criminal is the same, he who is thirsty for the blood of Syrians... he and his Lebanese allies."
Hariri said the killers are "those who are hiding from international justice and who have spread the regional fire to the (Lebanese) nation... and who killed Rafiq Hariri."
March 14 meanwhile called for the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, tasked with investigating the Hariri assassination, to also investigate Chatah's killing.
Five Hezbollah members have been accused of involvement in Hariri's killing and are due to be tried in absentia by the court. The tribunal's first hearing is set for January 16.
A source close to Chatah called the bombing a "message ahead of the (special tribunal) trial, saying 'You want justice? Here it is'."
Chatah was the ninth high-profile anti-Syria figure killed in Lebanon since Hariri's assassination.
Syria denies involvement
Syria denied the "wrong and arbitrary accusations," saying "some figures in Lebanon have never stopped accusing (Damascus) every time a painful assassination takes place in the brother country Lebanon".
Hezbollah said the bombing was aimed at destroying "national unity".
Several countries denounced the attack, as did UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the 15-member Security Council, which demanded an "immediate end to the use of intimidation and violence against political figures".
US Secretary of State John Kerry recalled meeting Chatah during visits to Beirut as a US Senator and described him as "a voice of reason, responsibility and moderation".
Chatah will be buried on Sunday in Hariri's mausoleum in the heart of Beirut.
"I was happy he was an academic, a minister. But I didn't want him to be a martyr," his weeping wife told Future TV.
Holding back his own tears, his son said: "If someone as good as him was killed, then there is no future for Lebanon."
Though Chatah was a Sunni Muslim, a Christmas tree lit up the living room.
An hour before he was killed Chatah had criticised Hezbollah on Twitter.
"Hezbollah is pressing hard to be granted similar powers in security & foreign policy matters that Syria exercised in Lebanon for 15 years," he said, in reference to Syria's nearly 30-year domination of Lebanon, which ended following mass protests against Hariri's murder.
Lebanon has been without a government for months amid deep divisions between Hezbollah and the parties opposed to its involvement in Syria.
Many in Lebanon resent that Hezbollah -- which is blacklisted by the United States and the European Union -- refused to disarm after the civil war on the grounds that it must fight Israel.
Friday's attack grimly recalled the violence that tore Lebanon apart during the 1975-1990 civil war, and comes as the multi-sectarian country is bitterly divided over the war in neighbouring Syria and is hosting more than 800,000 Syrian refugees.
Lebanon has seen several bombings and attacks linked to the Syria conflict, but Friday's was the first in Beirut's city centre.
Rafiq Hariri oversaw the rebuilding of central Beirut after it was flattened in the civil war, and today it houses the parliament building, modern glass towers, shops, cafes and restaurants.
"We are used to blasts in Lebanon, but not in this area," said Mohammad, a 23-year-old shop clerk.
"Now we are not safe anywhere."
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Mohammad Chatah, 62, was killed in the blast as he headed to a meeting of the March 14 coalition at the mansion of ex-premier Saad Hariri.
Chatah, an influential economist, former finance minister and ex-envoy to Washington, had served as adviser to ex-premier Fuad Siniora and remained a close aide to his successor, Hariri, who has lived abroad since 2011 for security reasons.
Hariri's father, billionaire ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, was killed in a massive seafront blast in 2005 just blocks away from Friday's explosion, in an assassination his supporters blamed on Syria.
State news agency NNA said more than 50 people were wounded and more than 10 buildings badly damaged by the blast, which officials said was caused by 50-60 kilos (110-132 pounds) of explosives.
The March 14 coalition implied Damascus and Hezbollah were behind the attack without naming them, saying in a statement that "the criminal is the same, he who is thirsty for the blood of Syrians... he and his Lebanese allies."
Hariri said the killers are "those who are hiding from international justice and who have spread the regional fire to the (Lebanese) nation... and who killed Rafiq Hariri."
March 14 meanwhile called for the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, tasked with investigating the Hariri assassination, to also investigate Chatah's killing.
Five Hezbollah members have been accused of involvement in Hariri's killing and are due to be tried in absentia by the court. The tribunal's first hearing is set for January 16.
A source close to Chatah called the bombing a "message ahead of the (special tribunal) trial, saying 'You want justice? Here it is'."
Chatah was the ninth high-profile anti-Syria figure killed in Lebanon since Hariri's assassination.
Syria denies involvement
Syria denied the "wrong and arbitrary accusations," saying "some figures in Lebanon have never stopped accusing (Damascus) every time a painful assassination takes place in the brother country Lebanon".
Hezbollah said the bombing was aimed at destroying "national unity".
Several countries denounced the attack, as did UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the 15-member Security Council, which demanded an "immediate end to the use of intimidation and violence against political figures".
US Secretary of State John Kerry recalled meeting Chatah during visits to Beirut as a US Senator and described him as "a voice of reason, responsibility and moderation".
Chatah will be buried on Sunday in Hariri's mausoleum in the heart of Beirut.
"I was happy he was an academic, a minister. But I didn't want him to be a martyr," his weeping wife told Future TV.
Holding back his own tears, his son said: "If someone as good as him was killed, then there is no future for Lebanon."
Though Chatah was a Sunni Muslim, a Christmas tree lit up the living room.
An hour before he was killed Chatah had criticised Hezbollah on Twitter.
"Hezbollah is pressing hard to be granted similar powers in security & foreign policy matters that Syria exercised in Lebanon for 15 years," he said, in reference to Syria's nearly 30-year domination of Lebanon, which ended following mass protests against Hariri's murder.
Lebanon has been without a government for months amid deep divisions between Hezbollah and the parties opposed to its involvement in Syria.
Many in Lebanon resent that Hezbollah -- which is blacklisted by the United States and the European Union -- refused to disarm after the civil war on the grounds that it must fight Israel.
Friday's attack grimly recalled the violence that tore Lebanon apart during the 1975-1990 civil war, and comes as the multi-sectarian country is bitterly divided over the war in neighbouring Syria and is hosting more than 800,000 Syrian refugees.
Lebanon has seen several bombings and attacks linked to the Syria conflict, but Friday's was the first in Beirut's city centre.
Rafiq Hariri oversaw the rebuilding of central Beirut after it was flattened in the civil war, and today it houses the parliament building, modern glass towers, shops, cafes and restaurants.
"We are used to blasts in Lebanon, but not in this area," said Mohammad, a 23-year-old shop clerk.
"Now we are not safe anywhere."
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