BEIRUT — Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday openly accused Israel of the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri and said he would unveil proof to that effect at a news conference next week.
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| Lebanon’s Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses supporters through a giant screen during a rally in Beirut suburbs August 3, 2010, marking four years since the end of the 2006 Israel-Hizbullah war. Nasrallah accused Israel on Tuesday of assassinating former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005. REUTERS/Khalil Hassan |
Nasrallah in July had revealed he was aware the UN-backed tribunal probing the Hariri murder was likely to indict members of his Shi’a party, slamming the court as biased and part of an Israeli plot.
His statements sparked fears of an outbreak of violence in already tense Lebanon and prompted a landmark summit in Beirut last week between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Saudi King Abdullah and Lebanese leaders.
Hariri and 22 others were killed in a massive bombing on the Beirut seafront on February 14, 2005.
The assassination sparked an international outcry and led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon after a 29-year presence.
The Hariri murder has been widely blamed on Syria, a main backer of Hizbullah along with Iran.
Damascus has consistently denied involvement.
Nasrallah’s pre-scheduled speech on Tuesday came hours after clashes between the Lebanese and Israeli armies killed two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist, and an Israeli commander.
The speech was initially intended to mark the four-year anniversary of the end of the 2006 war between his militant party and Israel.
The 34-day war ended on August 14 but Nasrallah was speaking ahead of the anniversary date because of the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan next week.
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