Al-Arabiya: Interference on Hariri's Convoy Carried Out with Iran-Made Equipment
Al-Arabiya television on Monday reported new information about an alleged plot to assassinate Prime Minister Saad Hariri prior to his shock resignation.
“The technical interference that Hariri's convoy encountered in Beirut was carried out with Iranian-made equipment,” the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya quoted Western sources as saying.
“The interference attempts were detected several days before Hariri's resignation,” the sources said.
Western officials had warned Prime Minister Saad Hariri of a plot to assassinate him, a media report published Sunday said.
Saudi-owned daily al-Hayat had reported Sunday that “high-ranking and credible Western sides relayed to resigned PM Saad Hariri a warning through direct channels about the presence of a plot to assassinate him.”
Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan had said Saturday that the alleged assassination plot was unveiled by Hariri's security detail.
For his part, Future TV director of political news Nadim Qoteish, who is close to Hariri, said Saturday that Hariri's convoy had been subject to telecom interference “on three occasions, the last of which was two days ago.”
Qteish also revealed that Hariri had canceled a visit to the town of Beit Misk after one of the alleged interference attempts was detected.
Also on Saturday, and shortly after Hariri's resignation, Al-Arabiya reported that “the plotters disabled the ‘watchtowers’ during the movements of Hariri's convoy.”
Announcing his shock resignation earlier that day, Hariri said Lebanon is living "an atmosphere similar to the one that preceded the assassination of the martyr Rafik Hariri."
"I have sensed covert plots to target my life," Hariri added.
The Internal Security Forces issued a statement later on Saturday distancing itself from unconfirmed media reports about the alleged plot.
"As for what is being circulated through media outlets, social networking websites and news websites about an attempt to assassinate PM Saad Hariri that was foiled by the ISF Intelligence Branch, the ISF Directorate General clarifies that neither it nor the Intelligence Branch are the source of the circulated reports," the ISF said.
"Therefore, it is not the source of these reports and it does not have any information about that," the ISF added.
On Sunday, both the Army Command and the General Security agency said Lebanese security agencies had not been aware of any plot to assassinate Lebanese politicians prior to Hariri's resignation.
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