A veteran Lebanese politician who was a harsh critic of Syria's influence in Lebanon was killed in a bomb blast in Beirut Tuesday.

George Hawi -- a former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party -- was killed as he was travelling in his car through Beirut's Wata Museitbeh neighbourhood. Police said explosives were placed under the passenger seat where Hawi was sitting, and were detonated by remote control.

He is the second anti-Syrian figure to be killed this month. On June 2, anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir was killed by a bomb that exploded under his car.

Syrian and Lebanese security services have been blamed for these assassinations, as well as the killing of former premier Rafik Hariri in February. The two governments have denied any role in the slayings.

The killing of Hawi, 68, came two days after an anti-Syrian alliance led by Hariri's son, Saad Hariri, won a majority in Lebanon's parliament.

"We are stunned," Prime Minister Najib Mikati told reporters when asked about Hawi's death. "With every achievement by the Lebanese state, we see that there are those who want to target security and send messages of this sort."

The bombing

Authorities say the bombing which occurred about 10:00 a.m. (3:00 a.m. ET) severely damaged Hawi's car.

Hawi's driver, escaped with only minor injuries. A worker at a nearby car dealership said he heard the blast and then saw the driver jump out of the window.

The man rushed to the car to try to help.

"Hawi was still alive and told the two of us, 'Help me, help me.' His face was bloodied, his abdomen was badly injured. Then he died," the dealership worker said. He refused to give his name for fear of trouble with security services.

When Hawi's wife, ophthalmologist Sossie Madoyan, arrived at the site of the accident which was only a short distance from the clinic where she works, she fainted at the sight of the carnage.

Hawi, a Christian, frequently spoke out against Syrian intelligence and interference in Lebanese affairs.

He was a prominent leader during the 1975-90 civil war when his followers fought alongside Muslim and Palestinian militias against right-wing Christians.

However, in recent years, Hawi distanced himself from the war and espoused Christian-Muslim dialogue.