BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri flew Wednesday night to Paris for a family visit, a source close to him said.
“He left half an hour ago and will spend a few days with his family in Paris,” said the source.
Hariri’s shock resignation announcement from Saudi Arabia early this month, followed by a lengthy stay in Riyadh, had prompted speculation that he had been forced to quit and was not free to travel.
He headed to the French capital at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron before returning to Lebanon last week.
The next day, at Lebanese President Michel Aoun’s request, he agreed to suspend his decision to resign pending talks on the political situation.
Some analysts described his departure for France as an “exfiltration” by Paris.
Hariri announced his shock resignation from Saudi Arabia on November 4, citing Iran’s “grip” on his country and threats to his life.
In a speech broadcast by the Al-Arabiya news network, he accused Tehran of “creating a state within a state” and blasted its Lebanese Shiite ally Hezbollah.
Iran rejected what it called “unfounded accusations.”
Hariri has repeatedly stated that he wants to remain prime minister, demanding that Hezbollah respect a policy of non-interference in regional conflicts.
The Lebanese Shiite movement has fought on the side of the Iran-backed regime in neighboring Syria.
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Lebanon’s Hariri visits family in Paris: source
Lebanon’s Hariri visits family in Paris: source
Iraq executes a former senior officer under Saddam for the 1980 killing of a Shiite cleric
- Al-Sadr was a leading critic of Saddam’s secular Baathist government whose dissent intensified after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran
- The cleric’s execution in 1980 became a symbol of oppression under Saddam
BAGHDAD: Iraq announced on Monday that a high-level security officer during the rule of Saddam Hussein has been hanged for his involvement in the 1980 killing of a prominent Shiite cleric.
The National Security Service said that Saadoun Sabri Al-Qaisi, who held the rank of major general under Saddam and was arrested last year, was convicted of “grave crimes against humanity,” including the killing of prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric Mohammed Baqir Al-Sadr, members of the Al-Hakim family, and other civilians.
The agency did not say when Al-Qaisi was executed.
Al-Sadr was a leading critic of Iraq’s secular Baathist government and Saddam, his opposition intensifying following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, which heightened Saddam’s fears of a Shiite-led uprising in Iraq.
In 1980, as the government moved against Shiite activists, Al-Sadr and his sister Bint Al-Huda — a religious scholar and activist who spoke out against government oppression — were arrested. Reports indicate they were tortured before being executed by hanging on April 8, 1980.
The execution sparked widespread outrage at the time and remains a symbol of repression under Saddam’s rule. Saddam was from Iraq’s Sunni minority.
Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, authorities have pursued former officials accused of crimes against humanity and abuses against political and religious opponents. Iraq has faced criticism from human rights groups over its application of the death penalty.
The National Security Service said that Saadoun Sabri Al-Qaisi, who held the rank of major general under Saddam and was arrested last year, was convicted of “grave crimes against humanity,” including the killing of prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric Mohammed Baqir Al-Sadr, members of the Al-Hakim family, and other civilians.
The agency did not say when Al-Qaisi was executed.
Al-Sadr was a leading critic of Iraq’s secular Baathist government and Saddam, his opposition intensifying following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, which heightened Saddam’s fears of a Shiite-led uprising in Iraq.
In 1980, as the government moved against Shiite activists, Al-Sadr and his sister Bint Al-Huda — a religious scholar and activist who spoke out against government oppression — were arrested. Reports indicate they were tortured before being executed by hanging on April 8, 1980.
The execution sparked widespread outrage at the time and remains a symbol of repression under Saddam’s rule. Saddam was from Iraq’s Sunni minority.
Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, authorities have pursued former officials accused of crimes against humanity and abuses against political and religious opponents. Iraq has faced criticism from human rights groups over its application of the death penalty.
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