Thread by @ejmalrai

Tomorrow, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will accuse #Hezbollah Salim Ayyash, Hassan mer'e, Hussein 'Onaisi and Asaad Sabra of the assassination of Rafic Hariri and 21 other in the 2005 explosion in #Beirut.

Nothing special because the verdict is already known and prepared.

Ex-PM @saadhariri said he is not concerned about pushing the street towards manifestations against #Hezbollah or similar requests. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)' verdict is known and will change nothing.

However, his brother Bahaa' (#SaudiArabia) doesn't think the same.

Bahaa Hariri and Ashraf Rifi are not expected to miss this opportunity and are due to ask for manifestation with little results.

The announcement of the known verdict is expected this afternoon, accusing 4 #Hezbollah of the assassination of Rafic Hariri. The STL cost $1 billion.

The 2005 era, when the pro-#US Lebanese politicians controlled the country after the assassination of Rafic Hariri (which also resulted in the withdrawal of the Syrian forces from #Lebanon and the 2d #Israel/i war) is over.

In 2020, the same scenario will never work again.

#BreakingNews:

The @stl judge said (#Hezbollah) Hassan Mer'e, Hussein 'Onaisi and Asaad Sabra are found not guilty of the assassination of Rafic Hariri and 21 other in the 2005 explosion in #Beirut

However,

(There is always a However)

The @stl declares Salim Ayyash guilty, re-affirming #Hezbollah's responsibility (as an individual which is the same at the end of the day) of the assassination of Rafic Hariori in 2005. #Lebanon #Beirut

This is Lebanon:

One billion dollars spent to declare one person guilty of the assassination of a member of the Lebanese Parliament, Rafic Hariri (ex-MP) when #Lebanon is still looking for missing people who die under the debris and just buried 177 people in #BeirutExplosion.

Perhaps The @STLebanon needed four billion dollars to declare all four #Hezbollah members guilty.

Maybe #Lebanon can finance further investigation and inject more monies?

https://twitter.com/ejmalrai/status/1295721690450862081

The @STLebanon based its verdict on the comms data, mainly withness 705 who was not working at Touch comms at the time of the assassination.

"The portable of Ayyash was close to the landline, a few kilometres away". Really? $1 billion for this?

#Lebanon is a very small country

The southern Lebanese city of Harouf, the city where Salim Ayyash was born, answers to the @STLebanon decision: "We are proud of our son". #Lebanon

STL decision was not based on fact, witnesses or proof but on communication data based on location (a few km).