Posted on 08/18/20
| News Source: NBC News
A United Nations-backed tribunal on Tuesday convicted a member of Iran-backed Hezbollah of conspiring to kill former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a 2005 bombing that set the stage for years of confrontation between Lebanon's political forces.
The verdict comes as the Lebanese people are still reeling from the aftermath of a huge explosion in Beirut that killed 178 people this month, and from a devastating economic meltdown.
Hariri, a Sunni Muslim billionaire with close ties with the West and Sunni Gulf Arab allies, was seen as a threat to Iranian and Syrian influence in Lebanon. He led efforts to rebuild Beirut following the 1975-1990 civil war.
His son, Saad, also a former Lebanese prime minister, reacted to the verdict by saying it was time for Hezbollah to assume responsibility.
"Hezbollah is the one that should make sacrifices today," he said. "I repeat: We will not rest until punishment is served."
omes as the Lebanese people are still reeling from the aftermath of a huge explosion in Beirut that killed 178 people this month. Read more at NBC News