On Aug. 18, a UN-backed tribunal in the Netherlands convicted Hezbollah member Salim Ayyash in absentia over his involvement in the 2005 killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others in a suicide car bombing. Three other defendants, also tried in absentia, were acquitted in the assassination due to lack of sufficient evidence.
The Hariri investigation didn’t involve Israel. Still, a few hours after the announcement of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's verdict, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement, saying, "The Hezbollah terrorist organization is implicated in this murder and obstructed justice. Hezbollah has seized the future of the Lebanese people in the service of foreign interests. The international community must act against this terrorist organization to help Lebanon free itself from the threat.’’
