July 19, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Haaretz: Lebanon to face grave crisis if Hezbollah found responsible for Hariri’s killing

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Monday that “if Hezbollah is found to be responsible for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, then Lebanon will face a grave political crisis.”

The daily said that the findings of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)’s Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare will likely be announced in September or by the end of 2010 at the latest.

Media reports said that some Hezbollah members could be named in the indictment.

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accused the STL on Friday of being an “Israeli project” designed to target the Resistance by stirring up sectarian strife in Lebanon.

“[The STL’s findings] could mark the end of the coalition between PM Saad Hariri and Hezbollah. The findings could also make it difficult for Hezbollah to maintain its close alliance with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun,” the daily added.

It also said that if evidence surfaced proving Hezbollah’s involvement in Hariri’s assassination, then calls to disarm the party “will only grow stronger.”