LEBANON: Report linking Hezbollah to Hariri assassination raises questions

In a bombshell report published Saturday, the German weekly Der Spiegel says the investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is moving toward the conclusion that the Shiite militia Hezbollah was behind the attack.

Based entirely on an unnamed source or sources, the Spiegel report said Lebanese investigators monitoring cellphone usage in the vicinity of the car-bomb explosion that killed Hariri lucked into a breakthrough discovery.

According to the report, the cellphones were used exclusively for phone calls among the alleged assassins except for one instance when one of the suspects used a phone to call his girlfriend. 

From that single call, investigators figured out the name of the  operative. Allegedly, he was Abdul Majid Ghamlush, described as an Iranian-trained agent who belongs to a "special forces" unit of Hezbollah, according to the report, which then goes on to link him to higher-ups in Hezbollah, including a commander named Hajj Salim. 

Most Lebanese believe Syria masterminded Hariri's assassination to maintain its slipping control over Lebanon, a charge Damascus vehemently denies. 

Hariri was enormously popular among all Lebanese groups, and if it's true that the United Nations tribunal has concluded that Hezbollah was behind the assassination, it would have a huge effect on the country, where a critical election is being held on June 7.

But the story raises some unanswered questions. In addition to citing only an anonymous source or sources, it alludes to "documents" to bolster its claims, but they are neither described nor shown in the report. 

Almost all of the Hezbollah operatives allegedly involved in the assassination are dead or missing. The Lebanese officer investigating the cellphones connection was killed, and Imad Mughniyeh, who oversaw the "special forces" unit, also was killed in Damascus last year, making the allegations tough to verify.

Although the report examines both Hezbollah's motives in wanting to assassinate Hariri and the tribunal's motives in allegedly keeping the accusations against the group under wraps, it leaves aside questions regarding the motive of the leaker, who timed the revelations just before the Lebanese elections and at a juncture when Israel and Washington are trying to coax Syria away from Iran and Hezbollah.

-- Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Photo: A protester holds a photo of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Credit: Graeme Robertson / Getty Images

Comments

[rezasantorini]

I remember Hezbollah being booted out of Lebanon by the United Nations...hmmm. What happened?

[Richard]

Michael, maybe you should get some self-respect and actually get in touch with reality before advising others on a subject on which they do know.

[Michael]

Who said why didn't you just shoot him? Jad you are definetly not in touch with the reality...I advise you to comment on something you understand.

[Ran]

well jad i am lebanese and i don't see "how funny that reason is"!! and no dear he was loved by most lebanese and not only by the Sunnis.. as for nasrallah's popularity don't make me laugh he's popular for all the wrong reasons...

[Jad]

i love how the Hezbollah specialist(remember Hezbollah are a highly skilled,experienced and secretive organization) decided to call his girlfriend after exploding 1000kg of TNT,killing 16 people and blowing a huge crater in Beirut.
So Hassan Nasrallah decided to kill Hariri because he was getting to popular?! you have to be Lebanese to see how funny that reason is. First of all no one in Lebanon is bigger than his sect, Hariri had a big following in Beirut with the Sunnis and thats it. Thats all the popularity he can get in a sectarian country like Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah is worshipped by the Shiites and he is by FAR the most popular person in Lebanese politics(BY FAR) so when the Der Spiegal journalist claims that Hariris popularity with all sects was the reason for his death it is pure B.S let me put it this way, when he was killed no the main reaction in the Christian street was "why didnt they just shoot him instead of killing 15 other innocent people with him"

[James]

What it shows is that the UN is trying to keep its investigators' conclusions quiet until after the election. That's what it has to do with the elections. People who say the Israelis are involved (as if they would try to kill one of the few responsible Lebanese politicians) are just trying to deflect attention from the Hizbullah-Syrian axis.

[Lomis]

They just uncovered a major Israeli spy/sabotage ring in Lebanon, the Israeli connection to Hariri's death should be on top of the list and this report proves there may be something in the work that will show direct Israeli involvement and Israeli diversion tactic at work.

[A]

Just to let you know, the Israeli paper Ha'aretz has swiped big chunks of this post ad verbatim and runs it as their own material. See

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1087550.html

[annie]

gee i wonder if this has anything to do w/the upcoming election.

nah