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Hezbollah Member, Not Its Leaders, Found Guilty in Hariri Case

Lebanon Braces for Hariri Verdict That Could Implicate Hezbollah

Judges at a United Nations-backed court in The Hague found a single Hezbollah suspect guilty in the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri 15 years ago, but failed to convict three others and said they had no evidence that the group’s leadership or Syria were directly involved.

The ruling will be a blow to those in Lebanon who had hoped the findings would force a national reckoning on the role of the Hezbollah group. This month’s devastating explosion had already turned the spotlight on its influence over Lebanon’s fractured politics.

Salim Ayyash was convicted of being a co-perpetrator in a conspiracy to commit a terrorist act that killed Hariri and 21 others using explosive material. The court said it had insufficient evidence to find other guilty verdicts, and couldn’t come to a conclusion on who ordered the attack.

“The trial chamber is of the view that Syria and Hezbollah may have had motives to eliminate Mr. Hariri and some of his political allies,” David Re, the court’s presiding judge, said at a hearing broadcast online. “However there was no evidence that Hezbollah’s leadership had any involvement in Mr. Hariri’s murder and there is no direct evidence of Syrian involvement in it.”

Hezbollah Member, Not Its Leaders, Found Guilty in Hariri Case

Hariri, a four-time prime minister and billionaire, was the face of Beirut’s multi-billion-dollar reconstruction following the end of the 15-year civil war in 1990, becoming the most prominent Sunni figure in the country.

But under Syria’s tutelage that began following the bloody sectarian war, Hariri grew vocal against Assad’s policies in Lebanon.

“The sacrifice should today come from Hezbollah after it’s clear now that the network of killers are from its ranks,” Hariri’s son Saad, who also served as prime minister, said on Tuesday outside the court. “I won’t rest until they’re handed over.”

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon had postponed its announcement for two weeks after the massive blast in Beirut on Aug. 4 wiped out the country’s main port and heavily damaged surrounding neighborhoods in the capital, killing more than 170 people.

Critics have rounded on the political elite -- including Hezbollah -- for the corruption and mismanagement that left thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate at the dock for years despite repeated safety warnings.

The suspects were four members of Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite group backed by Iran that’s denied involvement in the case and vowed never to hand over the accused. The fifth suspect, a commander, was killed in Syria fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad’s troops.

Blame Game

The group has come under heavy international pressure, with U.S. sanctions squeezing its sources of funding. It’s blacklisted by the U.S. and Gulf countries as a terrorist group.

Hezbollah Member, Not Its Leaders, Found Guilty in Hariri Case

On Feb. 14, 2005, Hariri was killed by a bomb in Beirut composed of about 1,000 kilograms of TNT. It sent shock waves across the world since he had close ties with the likes of Jacques Chirac, former French president, and the Saudi royal family.

Critics of Syria’s presence in Lebanon blamed Assad for Hariri’s killing. Massive protests that began a few days after the assassination ultimately led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops.

Hezbollah Member, Not Its Leaders, Found Guilty in Hariri Case

The February explosion was followed by a series of killings and attempted assassinations of journalists and lawmakers as well as military figures.

The court that ruled on Tuesday consisted of a mix of international and Lebanese judges.

Defense lawyers said that the prosecution had failed to show any motive behind the killing, arguing that Hariri and Hezbollah were on good terms at the time of the assassination.

Calls for calm started before the verdict was announced. Another of Hariri’s sons, Bahaa, asked for self-restraint and “avoiding angry reactions” to protect Lebanon.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.