Reports say warrants target senior Hezbollah members
The UN-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has issued four arrest warrants for people accused of being involved in the murder, according to the country’s state prosecutor. Local reports say the warrants are for senior members of Hezbollah, a major Shia militant and political group in Lebanon with alleged ties to Syria and Iran. Hezbollah has repeatedly denounced the tribunal and has vowed retribution for being singled out. Hariri and 22 others were killed in February 2005 when a bomb exploded near his motorcade as it passed through central Beirut. According to the BBC, many in the country are skeptical that the warrants will lead to actual arrests, since Hezbollah is now a strong force in the Lebanese government. The group claims the tribunal is a plot orchestrated by the United States, Israel and France. They have repeatedly denied playing any role in Hariri’s murder.