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August 18, 2020

Special Tribunal Delivers Verdict over 2005 Killing of Ex-Lebanese PM Rafik al-Hariri
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In the Netherlands, a U.N.-backed court is handing down its long-awaited
ruling over the 2005 killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik
al-Hariri. Four men have been on trial for the truck bomb assassination,
which had been attributed to Hezbollah, though it has denied
involvement.

Judge David Re: "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 the Hezbollah
leadership had any involvement in Mr. Hariri's murder, and there is no
direct evidence of Syrian involvement in it."

The verdict was originally scheduled for earlier this month but was
postponed due to the catastrophic explosion at the Port of Beirut on
August 4.


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