Hundreds of Lebanese citizens gathered at the Martyrs' Square in the center of the capital city, Beirut, on Tuesday to pay tribute to the memory of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri on the 18th anniversary of his assassination, a Sputnik correspondent reported
BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th February, 2023) Hundreds of Lebanese citizens gathered at the Martyrs' Square in the center of the capital city, Beirut, on Tuesday to pay tribute to the memory of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri on the 18th anniversary of his assassination, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
Hariri was killed on February 14, 2005, when a car bomb exploded near his motorcade. The official's death sparked mass protests in Lebanon.
The former prime minister's son and his political successor, Saad Hariri, who decided to halt his political activities in early 2022 and settle in the United Arab Emirates, has refused for the second year running to make any statements on the anniversary of his father's death out of respect.
Saad Hariri, who returned to Lebanon to visit his father's grave, participated in a wreath-laying ceremony alongside other family members as well as Lebanese politicians and foreign diplomats, including Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Rudakov.
The Future Movement political party, founded by Rafic Hariri and led by his son, told Sputnik that Saad Hariri "remains pessimistic about the future of Lebanon in view of the current situation in the region." However, the party still forms the basis of Lebanese political life and is ready to assist Saad Hariri in his future political decisions.
Lebanon has been plunged into a deep financial and economic crisis, accompanied by political and social tensions, since 2019. Amid the crisis, the banking system was almost completely paralyzed, the national currency depreciated more than 20 times against the dollar, pushing more than 70% of the population below the poverty line.
