Syria 'behind Hariri's killing' says UN investigator

The chief UN investigator into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri today said he was confident that Syria was behind the killing.

It was the first time that Detlev Mehlis has unequivocally accused Syria of responsibility for Hariri’s assassination since opening the UN probe in June.

Asked by the London-based Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat if he was firmly convinced that Syria was behind Hariri’s killing, Mehlis replied: “Yes.”

Mehlis also said he saw a link between this week’s assassination of anti-Syrian journalist and lawmaker Gibran Tueni and a string of bombings that has rocked Lebanon since Hariri’s assassination in February.