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.
Hezbollah has received $200 million from Iran to help Lebanese displaced by this year’s war with Israel, two people with direct knowledge of the transfer said, the first significant aid from the group to supporters who bore the brunt of the conflict.
Israelis will on Wednesday mark three years since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a military assault that destroyed much of Gaza, where conditions remain dire despite a year-old ceasefire that is meant to halt the war for good.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from October 21 to 23, his office said on Tuesday, in what will be the first dedicated bilateral visit to NATO ally Turkey by a Canadian leader.
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