Lebanon on Friday marks 20 years since former prime minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination amid seismic political changes that have weakened Hezbollah and its backers and could herald a comeback for Hariri’s son Saad.
Memorial in remembrance of Rafik Hariri at the very site of the attack in downtown Beirut © Mena Today
Lebanon on Friday marks 20 years since former prime minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination amid seismic political changes that have weakened Hezbollah and its backers and could herald a comeback for Hariri’s son Saad.
Rafik Hariri, a towering political figure, had resigned as premier when a suicide bombing targeted his convoy in Beirut, killing him and 21 others on February 14, 2005.
In 2022, a UN-backed court sentenced two Hezbollah members in absentia to life imprisonment for the bombing that killed him, though the terror group has refused to hand them over.
His son Saad, who served twice as prime minister, is based in the United Arab Emirates but has again returned for the annual commemorations for his father.
On the occasion of Eid al-Adha 2025, Dr. Rafat Husseini, Director of the Jerusalem Branch of the International Organization for Human Rights and the Defense of Freedoms, issued a heartfelt message combining spiritual reflection with a strong call for unity, justice, and social responsibility.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Friday that the Israeli army will continue striking targets in Beirut unless the Lebanese government disarms Hezbollah, escalating tensions a day after a wave of Israeli airstrikes devastated several buildings in the densely populated southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital — a stronghold of the Shiite group.
The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, announced on Thursday a €175 million aid package for Syria, calling it a "clear message" of support from the European Union.
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