The head of Lebanese parliamentary majority bloc, Sa’ad Al-Hariri, said on Tuesday he has evidence of Syrian assassination plots against himself and Lebanon’s Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, the Lebanese daily The Daily Star reported.
Al-Hariri said he had information regarding plots made by the Syrian head of intelligence A’sif Shawkat, and that he was following it up.
Shawkat, who is also Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad’s brother-in-law, was accused in the past by Washington of undermining the Lebanese government and is banned from entering the United States.
Al-Hariri is the son of Rafiq Al-Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon, who was assassinated in 2005. Rafiq Al-Hariri was considered an opponent to the Syrian military presence in Lebanon and his assassination is believed by many to have been orchestrated by Syria.
When asked to comment on Sa’ad Al-Hariri’s comments, Prime Minister Fuad Siniora confirmed the information was true.
The U.S. State Department announced it could not confirm the specifics of Al-Hariri’s allegations, but said it was aware of the "pattern of threat, intimidation and use of violence against those who are trying to further the process of political reform in Lebanon."