STL did not receive any report from Lebanon over arrest warrants

Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) spokesperson Marten Youssef said in an interview with Al-Balad newspaper that, “until now,” the STL has not received from relevant Lebanese authorities any report on the issue of the tribunal’s arrest warrants, or the measures taken by Lebanese local authorities in order to carry them out.

“August 11 is the deadline for the Lebanese authorities to inform the STL of the measures it took to search for the accused [people], detain them and transfer them to the [STL],” Youssef said.

He added, however, that it is up to STL President Judge Antonio Cassese to decide whether the Lebanese cabinet needs more time to submit the data it has.

The Iranian and Syrian -backed Hezbollah brought down PM Saad Hariri’s government on January 12 over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) imminent indictment.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon issued the indictments and arrest warrants in the assassination of Lebanon’s former PM Hariri on June 30. Two of the suspects Mustafa Badreddine and Salim Ayyash are reportedly senior members of Hezbollah and played leading roles in the assassination while the other two Hezbollah members Hassan Aneissy, also known as Hassan Issa, and Assad Sabra played a supporting role in the execution of the assassination.

Lebanon had 30 days to find and arrest the suspects but Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said on July 2 that the party would not cooperate with the tribunal.

“No Lebanese government will be able to carry out any arrests whether in 30 days, 30 years or even 300 years.”