The Hariri Surprize!

Are you also anxiously and nervously awaiting the ruling of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)?

Boy, I sure am!

Rafic Hariri was a long time Lebanese politician and one of the dominant Prime Ministers of the country during the 90's and early 2000's. Of course he is a Sunni Muslim as the Lebanese constitution mandates (likewise the President is a Christian, Speaker of the House is Shi'a, I know, Lebanon is a mess). During his reign he was of course the darling of the West and many politicians in the west were in his pocket (apparently, Chirac was greatly indebted to Hariri).

In 2004 he was ousted from power by the pro-Syrian bloc. In early 2005 he was assassinated in quite an explosion, as many on the pro-Syria/pro-Iran side didn't like his activities behind the scenes. Of course Syria, Iran and Hizballah rushed to blame Israel. Everyone else in the world (who's brain didn't sip out of their ear) understood that the suspects are much more likely to be found along the ranks of Hizballah or the Syrian Mukhabarat than south of the border.

Meanwhile, the late Hariri's son is now the Prime Minister. Ironically, he has to form a coalition with his daddy's killers. All the while the world is anxiously awaiting to hear from the STL that Hizballah is behind the assassination. Nooooo! really?!

Since nothing in Lebanon can be complete without an awesome twist, we may very soon find out that Allah's own representative on earth gave the order.

In great anticipation to the coming revelation, Hizballah has resigned from their coalition of bastards and effectively toppled the administration of Hariri Jr.

I really doubt that Hizballah is interested in a renewed civil war. The Lebanese remember very well how Nasrallah's last little escapade in 2006 panned out and he is still trapped in a bunker. But seriously, Lebanon is a mess... sometimes it takes but a sneeze to ignite the whole situation.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling that when the shit hits the fan, the residents of northern Israel will be paying a hefty price.