THE HAGUE: A UN-backed tribunal said Wednesday it had suspended a verdict on the 2005 murder of former Lebanese premier Rafic Hariri following the deadly blast in Beirut.
The court’s decision was due on Friday but the ruling has been postponed until August 18, the court said in a statement.
The death toll from Tuesday’s huge blast at Beirut port has risen to at least 113, Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hassan said earlier Wednesday.
It has been blamed on an unsecured store of ammonium nitrate at the port.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) “is deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic events that shook Lebanon yesterday,” the court said in a statement.
“The Tribunal expresses its solidarity with the Lebanese people in these difficult times.”
The STL issued “a scheduling order postponing the pronouncement of the judgment,” to August 18.
Four alleged members of Shiite group Hezbollah are on trial in absentia at the court in the Netherlands over the huge Beirut suicide bombing that killed Sunni billionaire Hariri and others in 2005.
The judgment harks back to an event that changed the face of the Middle East, with Hariri’s assassination triggering a wave of demonstrations that pushed Syrian forces out of Lebanon after 30 years.
The court is billed as the world’s first international tribunal set up to probe terrorist crimes, and it has cost at least $600 million since it opened its doors in 2009 following a UN Security Council resolution.
But the tribunal faces doubts over its credibility, with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah refusing to hand over the defendants and the case relying almost entirely on mobile phone records.
The four defendants went on trial in 2014 on charges including the “intentional homicide” of Hariri and 21 others, attempted homicide of the 226 people who were wounded in the bombing, and conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.
Salim Ayyash, 56, is accused of leading the team that carried out the bombing, which involved a truck packed full of explosives that detonated near Hariri’s motorcade on February 14, 2005.
Assad Sabra, 43, and Hussein Oneissi, 46, allegedly sent a fake video to the Al-Jazeera news channel claiming responsibility on behalf of a made-up group.
Hassan Habib Merhi, 54, is accused of general involvement in the plot.
The alleged mastermind of the bombing, Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddine, was indicted by the court but is believed to have died while fighting with the Syrian government in May 2016.
The surviving suspects face life imprisonment if convicted, although sentencing will be carried out at a later date.
Both the prosecution and defense can appeal the judgment and sentence, while if a defendant is eventually arrested he can request a retrial.
Prosecutors said during the trial that Hariri was assassinated because he was perceived to be a “severe threat” to Syrian control of the country.
Hariri was Lebanon’s Sunni premier until his resignation in 2004 over Syria’s role as power-broker in the country.
The case was “circumstantial” but “compelling,” prosecutors said, resting on mobile phone records allegedly showing the suspects conducting intense surveillance of Hariri from just after his resignation until minutes before the blast.
The court’s flag was flown at half-mast on Wednesday “to honor those who lost their lives, who were wounded and who are still missing as a result of the explosion in Beirut.”
At least 4,000 people were injured by the explosion, while dozens of people remain missing as rescue efforts continue.
However the court in The Hague rules, the eventual verdict it will not be the end of its work, as it opened a second case last year charging prime suspect Ayyash with terrorism and murder over deadly attacks on politicians in 2004 and 2005.
Lebanon Hariri tribunal judgement postponed after Beirut blast
https://arab.news/wqhy8
Lebanon Hariri tribunal judgement postponed after Beirut blast
- STL Trial Chamber postponed pronouncement of Judgment in the Ayyash et al. case, from 7 to 18 Aug.
- Experts and video footage suggest fireworks, ammonium nitrate were the fuel that ignited the explosion
Syria’s economy will be open for foreign investment, foreign minister says
A committee of representatives from various groups would work on the country’s new constitution
DAVOS: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani said on Wednesday that the country will open its economy to foreign investment and that Damascus is also working on energy and electricity partnerships with Gulf states.
“Syria’s economic resources are diverse and we have a lot of sectors — industry, tourism... of course the economy in the future will be open and will open the road for foreign investment,” he said at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Shibani paid separate visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in early January, during which he discussed bolstering ties.
Qatar has pledged to initially supply Syria with 200 megawatts of electricity and gradually increase the amount, the Gulf country’s prime minister said during a recent visit to Damascus.
At Davos, Shibani said a committee of representatives from various groups would work on the country’s new constitution after holding a national dialogue, which Syria’s leadership says will include all segments of society to chart a path for the nation after Islamist rebels ousted President Bashar Assad.
“We need an inclusive transition leading to a new constitution, free and fair elections, in a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that will restore Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” UN Syria envoy Geir Pedersen said at a separate press conference in Damascus on Wednesday.
Both Pedersen and Shibani reiterated calls for ending the international sanctions imposed on Syria.
Yemeni migrant found dead on French channel beach: official
- “It is a young man aged around 20 of Yemeni nationality,” the regional prefecture told AFP.
- Bodies have been found washed up repeatedly on the beaches around Calais in recent months
SANGATTE, France: French officials said Wednesday the body of a young man from Yemen had been found on a beach in northern France from where many migrants seek to cross the channel in small boats to England.
The body was not far from the water on the sandy beach in Sangatte outside the northern port of Calais, surrounded by about 10 police officers, an AFP photographer saw.
“It is a young man aged around 20 of Yemeni nationality,” the regional prefecture told AFP.
Bodies have been found washed up repeatedly on the beaches around Calais in recent months. The small boats used by migrants to cross the Channel often capsize or suffer from chaotic embarkations during which some passengers are left in the water.
After a record year for deaths in the Channel, clandestine crossings have continued in the middle of winter, despite sometimes freezing temperatures.
Fifty-nine migrants aboard a boat in difficulty were rescued Tuesday at sea in French waters, local officials said.
At least 77 migrants died in 2024 while trying to reach England on board small boats, a record since the start of this type of crossing in 2018.
On January 11, a 19-year-old Syrian died during an attempted crossing, “probably crushed” by other migrants during departure, according to the authorities.
Both London and Paris have vowed to crack down on the people smugglers who are paid sometimes thousands of euros by migrants to organize the crossing to England.
But the issue has also repeatedly caused tensions between the French and British governments. Paris has claimed that London’s lax enforcement of employment rules attracts migrants.
There have been high-profile arrests of people smugglers, but activists say the traffickers are now trying to pack more people into the small boats, making the crossings even more dangerous.
Israeli army builds wall on Blue Line, reinstalls border cameras
- Israeli army is using the remaining time in the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah to establish control over the Lebanese border area
- European Council approves $62m aid package for Lebanese Army ‘to carry out its sensitive mission’
BEIRUT: An Israeli force on Wednesday advanced into the Lebanese town of Taybeh, conducted extensive searches in the area up to Adchit Al-Qusayr and set fire to several homes.
Separately, an Israeli drone struck an area between Wadi Khansa and Al-Majidiya in the Hasbaya district.
The Israeli army is using the remaining time in the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah to establish control over the Lebanese border area.
A security source reported that the Israeli army reinstalled surveillance cameras and listening devices along the border.
The official National News Agency reported that the Israeli army “completed the construction of the concrete separation wall along the Blue Line from Yarin to Dahira.”
As the Lebanese army continues to establish positions in areas vacated by the Israeli army and prepares to enter the town of Hanine in the Bint Jbeil district, a number of residents from the towns of Al-Bayyadah, Shamaa, Alma Al-Shaab and Naqoura in the western sector were permitted to visit their hometowns.
Activists on social media circulated statements urging local populations to “prepare for Sunday, the date by which, according to the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli withdrawal from the border area should have occurred, allowing people to return to their towns.”
However, the Israeli army has continued to prohibit locals from entering the towns, using gunfire as a warning.
A statement issued to residents of Khiam urged caution and advised against hasty returns, “pending an official announcement from the relevant authorities to assess the security situation, as well as from the Lebanese Army, which is expected to clarify the situation on Saturday evening and determine whether a safe return is feasible.”
The statement said: “We are dealing with a treacherous enemy. Do not grant them the opportunity for betrayal, aggression, murder, bombardment and destruction once again.”
In support of the Lebanese Army, the European Council approved on Wednesday a third aid measure under the European Peace Facility, amounting to €60 million ($62 million) for the army.
The measure, according to a statement, “contributes to enhancing the capabilities of the Lebanese army to enable it — in line with Resolution 1701 — to redeploy and secure and maintain stability in the South Litani sector.
“This contributes to protecting the civilian population in the area, and works to enhance the operational capabilities and effectiveness of the Lebanese army, to contribute to national and regional security, thus allowing displaced civilians on both sides to return to their homes.”
Kaja Kallas, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said: “This new assistance represents a significant increase in the EU’s support to the Lebanese Armed Forces within the framework of the European Peace Facility, at a crucial stage in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
“The Lebanese Armed Forces are essential for regional and local stability, and deserve our full support in carrying out their sensitive mission. The EU and its member states remain strongly committed to supporting Lebanese state institutions and renewing the EU-Lebanon partnership.”
The resolution affirmed “the EU’s commitment to supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces’ capacity to redeploy in the South Litani sector, particularly following the 60-day ceasefire agreement.
“The Lebanese Armed Forces’ plan to redeploy in the South Litani sector is essential to accompany international efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire and implement resolution 1701,” it said.
“The Lebanese Armed Forces is the main guarantor, alongside UNIFIL, to create the necessary security conditions to restore stability and security for the population on both sides of the border.”
Meanwhile, Sheikh Mohammed Khalil Hamadeh, a Hezbollah official in Western Bekaa, was shot in front of his home by unknown assailants on Tuesday evening. He was hit by six bullets and died in hospital.
It was the first assassination in Lebanese territory since a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel went into effect 57 days ago.
An investigation has been launched to identify the perpetrators and the motives of the assassination, especially as Sheikh Hamadeh was a well-known figure in the region.
In a statement, Hezbollah mourned Hamadeh, describing him as “a leader and a warrior, who was martyred.”
Security information said that the gunmen who assassinated him were “driving a civilian car with tinted windows.”
Bekaa MP Ghassan Skaf did not rule out the potential involvement of Israeli spy agency Mossad, “which operates without being bound by any truce.”
He said: “The last war proved that the number of agents inside Lebanon, especially within the supportive environment of Hezbollah, was greater than even the party itself expected. Therefore, even if Israel were to withdraw completely from Lebanon, it would not halt its policy of assassinations.”
In another development, Layal Alekhtiar, Al Arabiya channel’s anchor, landed in Beirut on Wednesday and was accompanied by security forces from the airport to the Justice Palace in Beirut.
A search and arrest warrant was issued against her in November 2023 by the Lebanese Military Public Prosecution.
The warrant followed an inquiry initiated at the behest of individuals close to Hezbollah, following Alekhtiar’s live interview with Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on Al Arabiya.
Lebanese law forbids interactions with Israelis.
A Lebanese security source said: “Alekhtiar was immediately referred to the first investigative judge in Beirut Fadi Sawan at the Justice Palace. Following the interrogation, Alekhtiar was released on bail for 50 million Lebanese pounds ($558).”
Two months after Hezbollah opened a front to support Hamas, Alekhtiar sparked outrage among Hezbollah supporters when she interviewed Adraee on Al Arabiya and addressed him as “ustaz” (mister) and thanked him as “the Israeli army spokesman.”
Alekhtiar had described the complaint against her on social media as “a blatant political persecution in the form of judicial repression,” adding that “this has nothing to do with truth and justice.”
She addressed those who filed the complaint, saying: “They are the ones who plundered the state, bankrupted the people, and gave up the nation’s sovereignty and wealth. They are now covering up their crimes with fabrications to suppress freedoms.”
She added: “You will never affect my freedom, my dignity and my convictions no matter what you do.”
Greek authorities say more than 170 migrants picked up as arrivals from Libya increase
- The migrants said they had set sail from Tobruk in Libya and had been heading to Greece
- Greece has been on one of the preferred routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East
ATHENS: Greek authorities say more than 170 migrants have been picked up from rickety boats in the past three days with most found off the southern tip of the country in a route that appears to be increasingly used by traffickers.
Greece’s coast guard said Wednesday that a passing Philippines-flagged tanker had rescued 29 people found on a boat 65 nautical miles (120 kilometers, 75 miles) south of the southern island of Crete.
Another 45 people were rescued overnight by a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship 42 nautical miles (78 kilometers, 49 miles) south of the tiny island of Gavdos.
A patrol boat on Tuesday came across a speedboat carrying migrants near the eastern island of Tilos, with a chase resulting in the speedboat driver running the vessel aground on a beach, the coast guard said. A foot patrol later located a total of 31 people, including seven children and four women, while authorities arrested a 37-year-old Moldovan national as the alleged driver.
Another 68 people were located in two separate cases in Crete and Gavdos Monday: 19 men and one boy found just having disembarked from on a wooden boat on the southern coast of Crete, and another 48 people, all men, found on Gavdos. In both cases, the migrants said they had set sail from Tobruk in Libya and had been heading to Greece.
For decades Greece has been on one of the preferred routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and has seen a spike in arrivals from neighboring Turkiye and the Libyan coast over the past year. In 2024, the country recorded more than 60,000 arrivals — the vast majority by sea — compared to just over 48,000 the previous year.
While most people head to eastern Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast, many are now opting for the perilous 300-kilometer (200-mile) journey from the Libyan coast to the islands of Crete and Gavdos, officials have said.
Shooting, explosions in Jenin as Israel presses raid
- Operation takes place days after ceasefire between Israel, Hamas took effect in Gaza
- UN Secretary-General Guterres calls for “maximum restraint” from Israeli security forces
JENIN: A Palestinian official reported shooting and explosions in the flashpoint West Bank town of Jenin on Wednesday as Israeli forces pressed a raid that the military described as a “counterterrorism” operation.
“The situation is very difficult,” Kamal Abu Al-Rub, the governor of Jenin, told AFP.
“The occupation army has bulldozed all the roads leading to the Jenin camp, and leading to the Jenin Governmental Hospital... There is shooting and explosions,” he added.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces launched an operation in Jenin which Palestinian officials said killed 10 people, just days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip.
According to Abu Al-Rub, Israeli forces detained around 20 people from villages near Jenin, a bastion of Palestinian militancy.
The Israeli military said it had launched a “counterterrorism operation” in the area, and had “hit over 10 terrorists.”
“Additionally, aerial strikes on terror infrastructure sites were conducted and numerous explosives planted on the routes by the terrorists were dismantled,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The Israeli forces are continuing the operation.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to continue the assault.
“It is a decisive operation aimed at eliminating terrorists in the camp,” Katz said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the military would not allow a “terror front” to be established there.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency announced that, in coordination with the Border Police, they had launched an operation named “Iron Wall” in the area.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the raid aimed to “eradicate terrorism” in Jenin.
He linked the operation to a broader strategy of countering Iran “wherever it sends its arms — in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen,” and the West Bank.
The Israeli government has accused Iran, which supports armed groups across the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza, of attempting to funnel weapons and funds to militants in the West Bank.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “maximum restraint” from Israeli security forces and expressed deep concern, according to his deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq.
Jenin and its refugee camp are known strongholds of Palestinian militant groups, and Israeli forces frequently carry out raids targeting armed factions in the area.
Violence has surged throughout the occupied West Bank since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 848 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza conflict began.
Meanwhile, at least 29 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the territory during the same period, according to official Israeli figures.
