Hariri Assassination, Reminiscent of Civil War in Lebanon
In the bomb attack plotted near the St. George Hotel in western Beirut, Hariri lost his life at the scene of the explosion. Along with 12 of his bodyguards, a total of 12 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded in the attack. The explosion yesterday morning transformed the coastal area of the capital Beirut into a battlefield and the organization who claimed responsibility for the explosion have never before been heard, are called, "Victory and Jihad in Great Syria". Hariri had resigned as President in October 2004 and had been in constant struggle with the pro-Syrian President Emil Lahud for years. The former Prime Minister however had lately been cooperating with the opposition demanding the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanese territory. After the attack, many leaders, primarily the Syrian President Bessar Asad condemned the assassination.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack and drew the attention to Hariri’s active and creative approaches to improve Turkish-Lebanese relations. The Lebanese opposition held the current government and Syria responsible for the attack. The US harshly condemned the incident and also criticized the Syrian military presence in Lebanon. The Al-Jazeera television network broadcast regarding the assassination reported that an unknown person had called the television’s Beirut office and said that Hariri was assassinated because of his close relations with Saudi Arabia.
Preferring to introduce himself as "Mr. Lebanon" and the owner of a $2 billion fortune, Hariri had turned into one of the most important political figures in the country since the civil war. With a Sunni background, the former Prime Minister had established close relations with Saudis and through development tenders, he became rich and then moved into politics; before finally coming to power in 1992.
Lebanon, with a population of 3.7 million is under the political "guardianship" of the Damascus administration. While demands increase for the Syrian withdrawal, Damascus now faces escalating pressures in the international arena to reduce their influence in Beirut.
