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.
The Lebanese army said on Saturday that six soldiers were killed and others wounded in an explosion while they were inspecting a weapons depot and dismantling its contents in the southern city of Tyre.
The United States mission to the United Arab Emirates said on Friday it was aware of information indicating threats towards the Jewish and Israeli communities in the UAE.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry called on the international community to block Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed military takeover of Gaza City, accusing Israel of attempting to forcibly displace Palestinians and render the territory “uninhabitable.”
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