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UN Indictments of Hizbullah Members Near in Lebanon Killing

(Wall Street Journal) Jay Solomon and Margaret Coker - The UN-backed court investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is moving to indict between two and six members of Hizbullah by year-end. The militant group threatens violence if the indictments are handed down. The UN probe is looking at Mustafa Badreddine, a senior Hizbullah military commander and brother-in-law of Imad Mugniyah, who was among the FBI's most-wanted men before his death nearly three years ago. Mugniyah oversaw a string of terrorist attacks against American interests in the 1980s, including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut that killed 241 servicemen. Mugniyah is believed by UN investigators to have also played a role in the car bombing in Beirut that killed Hariri and 22 others. The president of the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon told reporters in The Hague on Wednesday that it is his hope that the indictments will be issued next month. Hizbullah isn't likely to give up any of its members to the tribunal, and Lebanon's armed forces are significantly weaker than Hizbullah's militia. Last Wednesday, the U.S. said it was providing an additional $10 million for the court's operations. "We wanted to reaffirm our support for Lebanon and the work of the tribunal," said a senior U.S. official. "We also wanted to remind President Suleiman that we have certain expectations of the Lebanese military and the state."
2010-11-08 08:39:23
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