New evidence has only reinforced investigators’ belief that the Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services were likely involved in the assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister, a UN probe said in a new report today.

Syria is trying to obstruct the UN investigation into the assassination of Lebanon’s Rafik Hariri, but will not succeed, the head of the commission into the killing of the former prime minister said today.

Syria is fighting back hard against the UN inquiry into the killing of a Lebanese politician, touting a witness who now says his testimony against Syrian officials was false. But some in Lebanon say Syria is just manoeuvring to discredit an investigation that could lead to its doorstep.

A man has claimed on Syrian state TV that he was bribed to accuse top Syrian officials of the murder of Rafik Hariri in his testimony to the UN commission into the former Lebanese premier’s assassination.