Hariri: Eid celebrations dimmed by assassination of Hasan

The car bomb which killed Lebanese intelligence chief Wissam al-Hasan and two others has taken the full joy from Eid for the Lebanese, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Thursday on the eve of the Eid al-Adha celebrations. “This terrorist crime, that also killed innocent victims and destroyed the houses and properties of many citizens in Ashrafieh, has deprived the Lebanese people from the usual joy of Eid,” Hariri said according to a statement from his press office. The incident has brought the Lebanese “back to the atmosphere of anxiety, fear of security risks and return of the ghost of political assassinations that Lebanon witnessed before,” the statement said. Brig. Gen. Hasan was killed in a car bomb in the Ashrafieh district of Beirut Friday. The Future Movement and its allies in the March 14 coalition were quick to lay the blame with the Syrian regime. Hariri added that fear of further assassinations would not deter state-building efforts which, he said “guarantees the unity of Lebanon and the security of all the Lebanese without exception and prevents the attempts by some to bypass the state's role or replace it under any pretext or argument. “On this blessed occasion, we wish that when the next feast comes, all factors of anxiety and insecurity concerns would have gone, and that the hopes of the Lebanese people would have been realized, regarding achieving security, stability and peace in all parts of Lebanon under the control of the state”. Meanwhile U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly met with Hariri’s chief of staff, Nader Hariri, Thursday and reiterated the U.S.’ condemnation of Hasan’s assassination and its support for stability in Lebanon and for Lebanon’s political parties to find their own way forward. “We join others in Lebanon who are demanding an end to impunity for political assassinations and other politically motivated violence. We have offered U.S. assistance in the investigation to help ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice,” a statement from Hariri’s press office quoted Connelly as saying. A Federal Bureau of Investigations team arrived in Beirut Thursday to begin gathering evidence into Friday’s car bomb. “The United States remains committed to an independent, sovereign, and stable Lebanon. It is for the Lebanese parties to agree on the way forward, and it is vital that this be done through a peaceful political process. The continuity of Lebanese institutions and government action must be maintained to ensure stability, security, and justice in Lebanon.” The Daily Star