"Video sought by UN panel; Tribunal wants answers on Lebanon killing" by Arthur Max, Associated Press | August 12, 2010
AMSTERDAM — The UN-appointed prosecutor investigating the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri of Lebanon asked Hezbollah militants yesterday to hand over evidence they say implicates Israel in the murder.
See: Israel's Dirty Games
The request from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon follows claims by Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah this week that Israel was responsible for the fatal truck bombing in the Lebanese capital. Israel called the allegations ridiculous.
Then they must be true.
Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare asked Nasrallah for the video he screened at a news conference on Monday, described by the Hezbollah leader as intercepted Israeli aerial reconnaissance tapes from the 1990s up to 2005. He said it showed places Hariri frequented, including the street where he and 22 others died.
The tribunal said Bellemare’s office, which is mandated to investigate as well as prosecute, would conduct its inquiry based on “evidence and nothing else.’’
“I welcome any evidence that can bring us closer to the truth,’’ Bellemare said....
Many Lebanese worry that if the tribunal draws links between the assassination and Hezbollah, a Shi’ite movement, it could provoke bloodshed between Lebanon’s Shi’ite and Sunni communities. Hariri was Sunni.
Oh, I wouldn't worry about that now.
See: The Redirection
Has Saad Hariri Finally Figured-Out Who Killed His Dad?
Yeah, I think he has.
Two weeks ago the leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia, President Bashar Assad and King Abdullah, who were once bitter rivals for influence in Lebanon, made an extraordinary joint visit to Beirut that underscored the depth of Arab concern over the chaos that could be revived by the tribunal’s decisions....
Actually, that's not quite the whole story.
Related: Muslims Send Message to Israel
Yeah, they actually went to tell the Lebanese they are with them if Israel attacks again.
Initially suspicion fell on Syria after the killing in February 2005, since Hariri had been seeking to weaken the domination of his country by Damascus.
Four pro-Syrian Lebanese officers were jailed without charge in Lebanon for nearly four years before being freed last year for lack of evidence.
Related: U.N. Exposes Hariri Hoax
Hariri was Lebanon’s most prominent politician since the 15-year civil war ended in 1990. His death set off political turmoil in Lebanon that led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops after almost 30 years of military presence....
And CUI BONO, readers?
Did not ISRAEL ATTACK soon thereafter?
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