Charbel: TIME Magazine Article Targets Hizbullah
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel stated on Monday that the TIME Magazine interview with one of the suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri targets Hizbullah.
He said before a delegation from the editors syndicate: “Targeting Hizbullah will have consequences and spark debates that do not fall in Lebanon’s interests because whoever wants to create unrest in Lebanon does so through creating sectarian tensions.”
“We should be wary and prevent those seeking to destabilize the country from reaching their goals,” he added.
“The press and media play a major role in this regard as you are the first authority that can set matters straight and contribute to Lebanon’s security and safety,” the minister stressed.
Furthermore, Charbel said that the ties between Lebanon and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon take place through the General Prosecution “and we have never hesitated in cooperating with Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza in this matter.”
He added that he had requested that Mirza look into the TIME Magazine article.
The magazine recently published an interview with one of the four suspects in the Hariri assassination.
The suspect, who remained unidentified, is one of four Hizbullah members accused of being involved in the crime.
On the Antelias blast that took place a few weeks ago, Charbel stated: “The blast was a result of a personal dispute between the two victims and this has been confirmed by the investigations.
“The facts in the incident proved my statements and I was not defending Hizbullah,” he stressed.
“Had it been involved, I would have announced it,” the interior minister remarked.
Two people were killed in the Antelias blast when an explosive device in their possession took off.
Media reports said that the brother of one of the victims is a member of Hizbullah.
Military Tribunal Judge Saqr Saqr later described the incident as a terrorist operation, which Charbel said he agrees with from a judicial perspective.
The minister added however that 90 percent of the citizens don’t view the Antelias blast from a legal angle.
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