Who Benefited Most from the Assassination of Rafik Hariri?

[SOS2008]

http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2005/02/who_killed_rafi.php by Eric Margolis, Foreign Correspondent, Defense Analyst & Columnist, and author of “War At The Top Of The World” posted “WHO KILLED RAFIK HARIRI?” on February 21, 2005:

“…A Syrian role in the crime defies logic, though not possibility. President Bashar- el-Asad’s besieged regime is desperately seeking to avoid providing the hostile Bush Administration with a pretext for war, and has urgently sought improved relations with both the US and Israel. … Hariri dealt comfortably with Syria for years. Though reportedly privately against the continued presence of 15,000 Syrian `peacekeeping’ troops in Lebanon, Hariri was not a major threat to Damascus and kept mum about their troops presence.

Suspicion points at Lebanon’s far rightist, anti-Syrian Maronites; Israel’s Mossad; or Syrian or Lebanese Islamists. All had interest in destabilizing Lebanon and hurting Syria. Other suspects: rogue elements from one of Syria’s many competing security agencies; and business rivals of billionaire Hariri, who was a brilliant but ruthless entrepreneur.

The professional expertise of the bombing strongly suggests a state intelligence agency. …PM Sharon’s rightist Likud Party may be renewing previous efforts to bring Lebanon back into Israel’s sphere of influence. For the past quarter century, Syria and Israel have waged a dirty war of bombings and assassinations to dominate Lebanon and Jordan. The White House, following Likud’s advice, is hoping its threats and economic siege of Syria will provoke the overthrow of the Asad regime.

…Many Syrians would like to be rid of the Asad regime and US-imposed economic sanctions, but fear sudden change will produce chaos or civil war.

…Israel would welcome Syria’s implosion, as it did Iraq’s. Hence current Israeli efforts to press the White House and Congress to overthrow Syria’s unloved, isolated regime, whose only ally is Iran, itself a leading target on America’s Mideast hit list.”

No this doesn’t sound like anything that can be attributed to Bush’s brilliance or theory of spreading democracy.

 

[Dayle Record]

Who benefits, and how?

 

[russ_watters]

Since when are terrorists logical?

 

[kat]

Syria has been assassinating it's opponents in Lebanon for years. Give me a break.

 

[Bilal]

What about Israel?
Who murdered Elie Hubiaka (one of the most well known Lebanese Maronite leaders) in 2002? Who murdered Dani Shimon and his family in 1990, Toni Frenjiah and his family 1978, Rashid Karami 1989.?

Who murdered most the political leaders of the Palestinian resistance?

I do not say that Syrian government is wonderful, but the last thing the Syrian want in this time is murdering Hariri and focusing on Lebanon, because they all already under huge American/Israeli pressure.

Sine the invasion of Iraq, USA looking for more reasons to starts new wars especially against Syria and Iran. I do not think they are so stupid to give excuses for destruction of their countries.

Syria has been assassinating it's opponents in Lebanon for years. Give me a break.

 

[SOS2008]

What about Israel?
Who murdered Elie Hubiaka (one of the most well known Lebanese Maronite leaders) in 2002? Who murdered Dani Shimon and his family in 1990, Toni Frenjiah and his family 1978, Rashid Karami 1989.?

Who murdered most the political leaders of the Palestinian resistance?

I do not say that Syrian government is wonderful, but the last thing the Syrian want in this time is murdering Hariri and focusing on Lebanon, because they all already under huge American/Israeli pressure.

Sine the invasion of Iraq, USA looking for more reasons to starts new wars especially against Syria and Iran. I do not think they are so stupid to give excuses for destruction of their countries.

I believe some of these other murders are mentioned in the posted article.

With regard to starting this thread, I had been wondering why the Syrians would assassinate Hariri, and it certainly seemed odd to me that they would do such a thing at this time. One has to ask who does this benefit most?

It gets back to the some questions I had when Bush was trying to connect 9-11 to Saddam to justify U.S. actions. The assassination just hasn't made sense.