Rafik Hariri assassination: Key events before and after


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The assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut on February 14, 2005 altered Lebanon's political path.

Hariri was seen by Syria and its allies as a challenge to its control over Lebanon, but his death ultimately forced Damascus to scale back its interference in the face of nationwide anger triggered by the killing.

The following are key moments in the lead-up to the assassination and its aftermath, based on the report issued later that year by Commissioner Detlev Mehlis of the International Independent Investigation Commission, and the proceedings of the Special Tribunal set up to try the case.

Events leading up to the assassination

2004

Aug 26: Rafik Hariri, leader of the Lebanese opposition, meets Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in Damascus. Lebanese politicians say Hariri told them after returning to Beirut that Mr Al Assad told him to back the extension of President Emile Lahoud's term or he would "break Lebanon" over Hariri's head. Syrian officials disputed the account, saying the meeting was cordial.

Sept 2: UN Security Council Resolution 1559 calls for withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon. Syria had 35,000 troops in the country, posted there since 1976.

Sept 3: Parliament, through a constitutional amendment, extends President Lahoud's six-year term by three years. Hariri votes in favour.

Sept 7: Economy Minister Marwan Hamadeh, a confidant of Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, is among three ministers allied with Hariri who resign to protest the amendment.

Oct 1: Hamadeh survives an assassination attempt. The car bomb attack kills one of his employees.

Oct 4: Hariri resigns as prime minister, ending his four year premiership in a move seen as a protest against Syria's political pressure. He was also prime minister from 1992 to 1998.

Oct 20: President Lahoud names Omar Karami, an Assad family ally, to form a government

The assassination and its aftermath

2005

Feb 14: A truck bomb kills Rafik Hariri and 22 others near Beirut's seafront. Demonstrations break out against the Syrian regime, setting the scene for the Cedar Revolution.

March 8: Hezbollah organises a large Shiite rally in support of the Syrian regime. The armed group, supported by Iran and the Syrian regime, leads the counter-revolution.

March 14: The anti-Assad camp responds with a bigger demonstration demanding the withdrawal of Syrian regime troops.

March 19 – April 1: Explosions in four Christian suburbs in Beirut kill three people and wound 29.

April 7: Formation of the UN-supervised International Independent Investigation Commission into the killing of Hariri and 22 others. The investigation was upgraded in 2007 to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

April 26: Syrian regime troops leave Lebanon

May – Sept 11: Four explosions in Christian areas of Beirut and its suburbs kill one person and  wound 45.

May 30: The anti-Assad March 14 Alliance wins Lebanon's general elections.

June 2: Car bomb kills prominent Palestinian-Lebanese writer and journalist Samir Kassir, an outspoken critic of the Syrian regime, in the Christian Ashrafieh district of East Beirut.

June 21: Car bomb kills veteran leftist politician George Hawi in West Beirut.

June 30: Former finance minister Fouad Siniora, who was a close friend of Rafik Hariri, forms a new government

July 12: Defence Minister Elias Murr survives assassination attempt. Two people at the site of the car bomb attack are killed.

Sept 25: Veteran TV journalist May Chidiac survives assassination attempt. The car bomb attack in Jounieh wounds her severely and her leg is amputated.

Dec 12: A car bomb kills anti-Assad parliamentarian Gebran Tueini in the Mkalles suburb of Beirut.

Note: Attacks that occurred after the Gebran Tueini killing would need UN Security Council consent to be covered by the Special Tribunal.

The international indictments

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon opened in January 2014, almost nine years after the Hariri assassination.

The tribunal indicted in mid-2011 four Hezbollah operatives for the Hariri assassination. The tribunal charged all four with conspiracy aimed at committing a terrorist act. The tribunal indicted in July 2015 a fifth suspect, Hezbollah supporter Hassan Merhi, on similar charges to the four.

The indictments said the case against the accused rested largely on circumstantial evidence, noting that such evidence “is often more reliable that direct evidence”.

The tribunal also charged the two most senior Hezbollah operatives among the five, Mustafa Badreddine and Salim Ayyash, with committing a terrorist act by means of an explosive device, intentional homicide with premeditation of Rafik Hariri and the 21 other people killed in the attack, and attempted intentional homicide of the 213 people wounded, with premeditation.

Badreddine was jailed in Kuwait for attacks in 1983 on the French and US embassies in the country but escaped in 1990. He was killed in Syria in 2016. A year later, the Israeli military chief of staff said the killing was an inside job, carried out by Hezbollah itself. Hezbollah described the Israeli assessment as a “lie”.

In September 2019, the Tribunal indicted Ayyash on new charges related to bomb attacks between 2004 and 2005 on Marwan Hamadeh, Georges Hawi and Elias Murr.

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'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

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Getting there

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.

The stay

Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.

Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP

Men’s: 
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)

Women's: 
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)

WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

Expert advice

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While you're here
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young