DAMASCUS, Dec. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Syria said on Monday that the timing of a blast in Beirut earlier in the day was intended to damage the reputation of Damascus, the official SANA news agency reported.

    Lebanon's anti-Syrian Christian parliament member Gebran Tueni was killed in a car bombing attack earlier Monday in the Christian-dominated Mekalis area in eastern Beirut.

    "This explosion comes at an intended date to direct accusations against Syria at this time in particular," an Information Ministry source was quoted as saying.

    Syria is facing mounting international pressure over its alleged role in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in February.

    An interim UN report on the probe implicated top Syrian and Lebanese security officials in the killing.

    The source strongly condemned the car bombing, which killed altogether four people, including Tueni and his driver, and wounded ten others.

    Asserting that "those who stand behind these explosions are Lebanon's foes," the source also expressed Syria's pain over the explosions and assassinations that have targeted Lebanon's security, stability and civil peace, SANA said.

    However, Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt accused Syria of masterminding the killing of Tueni.

    Jumblatt, also a MP, told the al-Jazeera channel that he believed Tueni was killed because he was "the voice of freedom" in Lebanon, like the slain Hariri, who was killed in a massive car bombing in central Beirut on Feb. 14.

    Damascus has repeatedly denied any involvement in the Hariri killing and pledged cooperation with the UN probe.

    A final UN report was expected to be released soon. Enditem