Leidschendam, August 18: A judge on the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Tuesday said there is no evidence that suggests a direct link between Hezbollah leadership or the Syrian government and the 2005 bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is reading its verdict in the Rafik Hariri assassination case in a village near The Hague in the Netherlands. Beirut Blast: Cost of Damage Tops $3 Billion, Around 3 Lakh Left Homeless, Says Governor Marwan Abboud.

"The trial chamber is of the view that Syria and Hezbollah may have had motives to eliminate Mr Hariri and his political allies, however, there is no evidence that the Hezbollah leadership had any involvement in Mr Hariri’s murder and there is no direct evidence of Syrian involvement," said Judge David Re, reading a summary of the court’s 2,600-page decision. The judge added that the bombing was "undoubtedly a political act".

Hariri, who served as the prime minister from 1992 until 1998 and again between 2000 and October 2004, was killed when a huge truck bomb blew up in Beirut in 2005. Four Hezbollah members - Salim Ayyash, 56, Assad Sabra, 43, Hassan Oneissi, 46, and Hassan Habib Merhi, 54, - have been charged and tried in absentia. Hezbollah has refused to hand over them and their whereabouts remain unknown.

Critics of Syria’s presence in Lebanon blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for Hariri’s killing. Massive protests that began a few days after the assassination ultimately led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Ahead of the verdict, a massive blast rocked Beirut and claimed over 100 lives. Consequently, the verdict was postponed from August 5 to August 18.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2020 04:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).