Lebanon declined to hand over spies and Israeli agents involved in the two Lebanese espionage and sabotage networks to Damascus due to judicial reasons related to trial procedures in Beirut. Yesterday, Lebanese judicial authorities initiated investigations into the aggressive plans of members from both networks, targeting Syria and Lebanon. Military investigating judge Riad Talaie issued seven arrest warrants for 11 individuals accused of belonging to the subversive network associated with the (dissolved) Lebanese Forces party. They were charged with detonating the Syrian bus in Damascus at the end of 1996 and plotting the assassination attempts against Ministers Michel El-Murr, Eli Hobeika, and the Syrian reconnaissance forces commander in Lebanon, General Ghazi Kanaan.
Lebanon has communicated to Syria the reasons for refusing to extradite the spies and subversive agents.
Lebanese sources disclosed a surprise secret visit by Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam to the Shtaura region yesterday. During this covert visit, Khaddam met with Nabih Berri, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rafiq Hariri, the Prime Minister, and Mohsen Dalloul, the Minister of Defense, to discuss the sabotage and espionage networks.
According to judicial sources, Judge Taleea will continue his investigations in the coming days. He is considering issuing arrest warrants in absentia for several fugitive defendants. The military investigating judge emphasized that the investigations would be conducted thoroughly and that no premature conclusions would be made.
The ongoing investigation into the Syrian bus bombing has drawn significant attention, with the Lebanese side affirming that none of those involved will be handed over to Syrian authorities.
To reinforce this stance, the discriminatory prosecutor Adnan Adoum sent an official letter to the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces, focusing on streamlining the extradition process for terrorist criminals and enhancing mutual assistance among member states in this regard.
In another development, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahar reported that Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam made an unannounced surprise visit to Shtaura in eastern Lebanon. He held a meeting with Speaker of the House of Representatives Nabih Berri, Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Lebanese Minister of Defense Mohsen Dalloul, along with General Ibrahim Safy, the commander of the Syrian forces operating in Lebanon, and Major General Ghazi Kanaan, the head of the security and reconnaissance service of the Syrian forces. The discussions covered the recently exposed bombing and espionage networks in Lebanon, as well as the internal situation in Lebanon. According to government sources cited by Al-Nahar, there are no immediate prospects for negotiation and solutions seem unlikely given Israel’s militant policies in the region. Additionally, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Kifah al-Araby reported that Khaddam’s undisclosed meeting addressed the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives, which Speaker Nabih Berri is determined to convene. They also touched upon the constitutional amendment and the nominated candidates for the presidency of the Republic. The newspaper further mentioned that the Syrian Vice President requested to postpone the discussion on this matter until after the return of Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad from his visit to Paris.