The Hague - Naharnet Exclusive

The Prosecution of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Friday crowned its 2-day presentation about the outcome of investigations into the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri by unveiling the route taken by the booby-trapped truck, the hierarchy of the assassination squad and a series of elements that might lead to major surprises as the trial moves forward.

Hizbullah International Relations official Ammar Moussawi held talks on Friday with a French presidential aide in Beirut, months after the European Union listed the party's military wing as a terrorist organization.

Hizbullah said Moussawi discussed regional and local developments with Emmanuel Bonne, French President Francois Hollande's adviser for Middle East affairs.

Investigations are underway to determine whether a young man who hails from the southern city of Sidon is the suicide bomber who blew up an explosives-rigged car in the Bekaa town of Hermel, after preliminary investigations revealed that only one person was killed in the explosion.

“Preliminary investigations – which are being conducted by security agencies under the supervision of State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr – have revealed that only one person was martyred in the Hermel Square bombing that occurred yesterday,” state-run National News Agency reported.

The defense lawyers of the four suspects accused of carrying out the assassination of late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri stated on Friday that the crime is still “motiveless,” complaining also about the “noncooperation” of Lebanese authorities.

“Until this day, the General Prosecutor has not given any motives that could have triggered carrying out the assassination of Hariri,” suspect Mustafa Badreddine's lead counsel Antoine Korkmaz said at a press conference in The Hague.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Friday announced that he is showing positivity in the cabinet formation process, noting that Hizbullah is a political party that is leading a “big coalition.”

“We are positive regarding the cabinet formation process. This is something good for the country and for stability in the country,” Hariri said in an interview.

Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji on Friday noted that the army is confronting major threats to prevent Lebanon from being turned into an arena for regional conflicts, reassuring that the military institution is “capable of confronting the challenges.”

Qahwaji voiced his remarks during a meeting on the occasion of the new year with a delegation from the Association of Arab and Foreign Military Attaches in Lebanon, which was led by Russian military attache Maj. Gen. Raphael Kormachov. Representatives of the U.N. Truce Supervision Organization and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were also present at the meeting.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale traveled to France on Friday morning, the U.S. embassy said in a statement.

“While there he is scheduled to meet with Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri as well as French officials,” the embassy added.

The Legal Representatives of the Victims at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon voiced on Friday their confidence that the tribunal would be able to achieve justice “that has long been missing in Lebanon.”

They said during their opening statements at the trial that it is “time to end terrorism in Lebanon and put the criminals on trial.”

The Lebanese army detained on Friday four men, holding British passports, between Zahle's industrial district and Terbol road in the central Bekaa, media reports said.

The four men entered Lebanon illegally.

A number of people were killed and wounded on Friday in shelling from the Syrian side of the border against the Bekaa border town of Arsal.

The National News Agency reported that seven people were killed and 15 wounded in the attack.