“We are convinced Hezbollah killed Lebanon’s former PM Rafik Hariri and the international investigation (committee) has evidence to prove that,” al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday quoted an “authoritative security source” close to Premier Saad Hariri as saying.
The source added, explaining in chronological order, that in 2006 and before the Israel-Hezbollah July war, Lebanese Police Intelligence Bureau was able through its data and evidence to prove the involvement of Hezbollah members in the implementation process of the murder .
The source reportedly said that the head of the police Intelligence bureau, Col. Wissan al-Hasan, informed Prime Minister Saad Hariri of the data. The prime minister, in turn, dispatched al-Hasan to Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
But Nasrallah did not agree with Hasan, neither did he deny, the source added.
He said three other meetings were held between Hezbollah and security officials to discuss the evidence, the source said.
The security source went on to explain the series of meetings and contacts between Hariri’s team and Hezbollah and between Internal Security Forces and Hezbollah which he said could be summarized in simple words:
We offered Hezbollah an exit that calls on the party to announce its readiness to prosecute members for evidence implicating them in Hariri’s murder, just like the road map presented by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, who echoed several times that Syria would try any Syrian citizen proved involved in the assassination process.
“We suggested that Hezbollah hide these persons or liquidate them or convict them morally,” the source said.
By doing so, the source explained, the investigation will not be able to get to the side that ordered the killing.
“But we were surprised when Nasrallah closed the door on us, saying he is responsible for any act done by any Hezbollah member as if the party is not penetrated, and we know that it is and we gave him evidence for that,” the security source told Al-Akhbar.
He said the three Hezbollah officials found to have ties to Israel have been “liquidated” after police informed Hezbollah of them.
Argument over the so-called false witnesses in the Hariri murder, the source added, and those trying to suggest that this is a big issue, is distortion of the facts.
Tension escalated in Lebanon after reports said that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will soon issue its indictment into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Last July, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that the tribunal is “an Israeli project” that will indict Hezbollah members. Nasrallah accused Israel of being behind Hariri’s assassination but refused to provide the evidence to STL to prove his case. Some March 8 coalition politicians have been calling for the abolition of the tribunal, while Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and former head of General Security Jamil as-Sayyed publicly attacked the government.
Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri urged the Lebanese political parties yesterday to sit together and develop a plan to deal with the International Tribunal indictment.
“Lebanese are able to sit with each other and prepare a plan on how to deal with the outcome of the Court’s decision regardless whether it is negative or positive,” Asiri told LBC television. Naharnet, Ya Libnan
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