Nick Blanford, Times correspondent in Lebanon, watched as the funeral procession brought Beirut to a standstill.
“There was undoubtedly a hardcore of angry people. There were huge crowds, army helicopters overhead and a lot of troops out on the streets. In part it was quite chaotic with people chanting ‘Syria out’ and ‘Revenge, revenge’.
“The most impressive element of the whole gathering was the presence of a quiet, almost silent, majority who had come to pay their respects in a dignified way to the man who had dominated the political scene since 1990.
“This wasn’t just the $10 rent-a-mob - for example, there were middle-class women dressed in designer clothes lining the streets. These are effectively the bourgeoisie, they speak French not Arabic, and their presence demonstrates just how big an impact Harari had in drawing this diverse community together.
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“The procession route was just over two miles from Harari’s home in western Beirut to the mosque which is in the downtown area. Harari had helped to finance the mosque but it’s not quite complete yet, and is surrounded by a ring of cranes.
“The more adventurous had climbed on to the towers and were hanging on perilously to get a better view of the ceremony.
“Harari’s grave is next to the mosque and following the ceremony his relatives returned home where they continued to receive condolences.
“There was a huge stream of mourners arriving at the house and Jacques Chirac has appeared on television consoling Harari’s widow. It is the first time she has appeared in public since his death and she looked visibily shaken.
“There was a possibility of trouble flaring among the more hot-headed element of the crowd but they dispersed fairly quickly and peacefully. I have been in the country for ten years and I can not remember it ever being as tense as it has been in the past two days even during the height of the conflict.
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“Everyone is on edge. The city has closed down for three days of mourning and today, on the second day, everyone seems to be staying at home. People have switched on the TVs and are watching as events unfold.
“There is no question that Harari’s death has united opinion across the sectarian divide. Until about six months ago, the majority of those behind calls for Syrian withdrawal were Christian. They have now been joined by the Jews and the Sunni Muslims, and for the first time we’ve had these historical enemies unite.
“The Shias, who still represent the largest community in Lebanon, have been generally supportive of Syria but I think that is likely to diminish.
“It’s going to be fairly difficult for Syria to remain given these circumstances. Even staunch Sunnis are saying that this is the straw that broke the camel’s back, enough’s enough. And I’m sure we can expect the international community to now redouble its efforts.
“However, while many people are undoubtedly pointing the finger of blame at Syria for the killing, others have said that Damascus had nothing to gain and everything to lose from this act.
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“In many ways, this was a classic Beirut assassination: you can point the finger of blame in any direction but trying to find the genuine culprit and identify the genuine motivation may take many years, and we may never find out.”