Beirut, August 11: A UN court probing the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri on Wednesday called for the submission of all material held by Hezbollah, which claims its data implicates Israel in the killing.
“In line with its mandate, the Office of the Prosecutor has requested the Lebanese authorities to provide all the information in possession of (Hezbollah) Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah,” a statement released by the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon said.
“This request includes the video material that was shown on television during the press conference, as well any other material that would be of assistance to the Office of the Prosecutor in unveiling the truth.”
Tribunal spokeswoman Fatima Issawi said earlier on Wednesday that the court was seeking all relevant information, days after Nasrallah revealed “evidence” that his arch-foe Israel was behind the February 14, 2005 bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others.
The Shiite leader on Monday produced several undated clips of aerial views of various areas in Lebanon, including the site of the Hariri assassination in mainly Sunni west Beirut several years prior to the murder.
He said the footage was intercepted from unmanned Israeli MK surveillance drones.
Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hezbollah is facing increasing pressure as the UN-backed tribunal appears set to accuse several of its members.
Nasrallah has said Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of Rafiq, vowed he would publicly declare any Hezbollah members indicted were renegades and not disciplined party members.
Hariri’s stance is widely viewed as an attempt to avoid violence between his mainly Sunni Muslim supporters and supporters of the Shiite Hezbollah at all costs.
Tribunal president Antonio Cassese has said there is no fixed date for any indictments, which “will depend on when the prosecutor determines there is enough evidence.”
The Hariri assassination triggered an international outcry and led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in April 2005 after a deployment of almost three decades.
The murder has been widely blamed on Syria, but Damascus has consistently denied involvement.
—Agencies