Hezbollah Under Fire Again After Member Convicted for Assassination of Prime Minister in 2005

JERUSALEM, Israel - An international tribunal in the Netherlands on Tuesday convicted a senior Hezbollah member of assassinating Lebanon’s prime minister 15-years-ago. The verdict throws the spotlight on the Iranian-backed group once again.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon all but blamed Syria and Hezbollah for involvement in former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s killing in 2005 in Beirut.

“The growing opposition to the Syrian presence in Lebanon threatened Syria’s interests. 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. However, there was no evidence that this Hezbollah leadership had any involvement in Mr. Hariri's murder and there is no direct evidence of Syrian involvement in it,” said David Re, the judge presiding over the case.

Hariri was assassinated in a massive truck bomb blast that killed 21 others, damaged buildings and left a huge crater. The only thing left of the driver was a tooth, so his identity was never uncovered.

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The verdict was delayed for years due to Hezbollah’s grip on power. The court found one senior Hezbollah member named Salim Jamil Ayyash guilty, while three others were acquitted of involvement in the murder.

Hariri’s son, Saad Hariri, was not surprised by the tribunal’s conclusion that Syria and Hezbollah were involved in his father’s assassination.

"He was assassinated because he was against the policy of the regime in Syria and he wanted to take this regime out of Lebanon. We all said this, right? But when it comes from a court, that shows that what we've said before in the past, is true,” said Hariri.

Several years after the assassination Saad Hariri became prime minister. He resigned last October amid anti-government protests and a failing economy but stayed on as caretaker until January.

It’s now up to Hezbollah to turn over Ayyash to authorities.

"We all know the truth now, and it remains that justice will be executed, regardless of how long it takes,” said Saad Hariri.

Many are pointing their finger at Hezbollah following a huge blast that rocked Beirut on August 4, leaving nearly 200 dead, 6,000 wounded and hundreds of thousands homeless. Some experts speculate that the Iranian-backed group may have stored weapons at the port, adding to the explosion.

"My demand is that the truth and justice for Rafik Hariri and his comrades [lead] the way to knowing the truth and achieving justice for all the innocents that perished in the Beirut blast,” said Saad Hariri.

Hariri called on Hezbollah to come clean and for co-existence between the various factions in Lebanon. He said the only way they will be able to rebuild their country is if they are honest with each other and work together.

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