Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, holding his broken shoulder, attends a parliament session that was held in Beirut Friday September 3, 2004 to amend the Constitution for extending the term of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud by another three years. The amendment comes in defiance of international pressure that culminated Thursday night with a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for holding free presidential elections and withdrawal of all foreign troops. (UPI Photo/Mohammed Tawil) |
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BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Israeli officials are linked to the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the secretary-general of Hezbollah declared.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced in July that several members of his Shiite group in Lebanon could be indicted by a U.N.-backed tribunal probing the Hariri assassination.
Nasrallah added that the July arrest of a second employee at Alfa cell phone network provider shows Israeli intelligence has infiltrated Lebanon, adding phone data used by Hariri investigators proved the tribunal was "an Israeli project."
The German news magazine Der Spiegel in 2009 published a report saying it had evidence that linked cellphone records from Hezbollah to the Hariri assassination.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz points to statements in the Arabic-language media from Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim Mousawi who said Nasrallah has "comprehensive, revealing (and) conclusive information" linking Israel to the assassination.
"There's a new scheme that targets the resistance (Hezbollah), Lebanon and the region through the Special Tribunal for Lebanon," the spokesman added.
"We will present significant proof that Israel, via its agents, tried to convince Hariri already in 1993 that Hezbollah wants to assassinate him," said Nasrallah in statement published by Hezbollah's al-Manar. "We blame the Israeli enemy for the assassination and the figures I will reveal will open new horizons in the investigation that will lead to the identity of the true murderer."