--- title: "Hariri Assassination in Beirut" year: 2005 country: "Lebanon" canonical: "https://recap.at/2005/hariri-assassination" slug: "hariri-assassination" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "2005-02-14" --- # Hariri Assassination in Beirut > The killing of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri triggered the Cedar Revolution and exposed Syria's grip on Lebanon, shifting regional power dynamics. On February 14, 2005, a massive truck bomb killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and 21 others in Beirut, destabilizing the country and triggering the Cedar Revolution-a wave of protests that forced Syrian troops to withdraw after nearly three decades of occupation. ## Summary On 14 February 2005, former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafic Hariri was assassinated along with 21 others in an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. Explosives equivalent to around 1,000 kilograms of TNT were detonated as his motorcade drove near the St. George Hotel. Among the dead were several of Hariri's bodyguards and former Minister of Economy and Trade, Bassel Fleihan. ## Key facts - **Death toll**: 22 people killed, including former PM Hariri - **Explosive force**: Approximately 1,000 kilograms of TNT equivalent - **Location**: Near St. George Hotel in Beirut's Beirut Central District - **Date**: February 14, 2005 - **Hariri's role**: Former Prime Minister of Lebanon (served 1992–1998 and 2000–2004) - **Syrian troop withdrawal**: Completed by April 2005, ending 29 years of occupation - **UN tribunal established**: Special Tribunal for Lebanon indicted four Hezbollah members in 2011 ## Timeline - **2005-02-14** - Hariri assassination A truck bomb detonates near the St. George Hotel as Hariri's motorcade passes. The explosion kills 22 people, including Hariri and nine bodyguards. Hariri, a billionaire businessman and political leader, was traveling in an armored convoy after months of mounting tensions with Syria over his opposition to extending the Syrian-backed presidency of Emile Lahoud. - **2005-02-21** - Cedar Revolution begins An estimated 100,000 Lebanese gather in downtown Beirut to mourn Hariri and demand Syrian withdrawal. The demonstrations grow into a sustained opposition movement that cuts across sectarian lines, uniting Sunni, Christian, and Druze communities against Syrian occupation. - **2005-03-14** - Pro-Syria rally Hezbollah and its allies hold a counter-demonstration in Beirut, drawing hundreds of thousands in support of continued Syrian-Iranian influence in Lebanon. The rally underscores the deepening sectarian and geopolitical fault line exposed by Hariri's death. - **2005-04-26** - Last Syrian troops withdraw Syrian military forces complete their withdrawal from Lebanon, ending 29 years of military occupation. The pullout comes in direct response to Cedar Revolution pressure and international diplomatic pressure, particularly from the United States and France. - **2005-05-29** - Parliamentary elections Lebanon holds its first elections since Syrian withdrawal. The March 14 alliance, named after the pro-sovereignty protest date, wins a majority of seats, signaling Hariri's political legacy's immediate electoral power. - **2006-12-01** - UN tribunal established The UN Security Council approves the creation of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to investigate Hariri's assassination. The tribunal operates under hybrid jurisdiction, combining Lebanese and international law. - **2011-06-30** - Hezbollah members indicted The Special Tribunal indicts four members of Hezbollah-Mustafa Badreddine, Hassan Habib Merhi, Assad Hassan Sabra, and Hassan Issa Sakr-for the assassination. All remain at large; Hezbollah denies involvement and rejects the tribunal's legitimacy. ## Media coverage - **The New York Times** (2005-02-15): [Former Lebanese Prime Minister Killed in Beirut Bombing](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable) > Rafic Hariri, who steered Lebanon's reconstruction after its civil war, was killed along with at least 20 others when a massive bomb tore through his motorcade near the St. George Hotel in downtown Beirut on Valentine's Day. - **Reuters** (2005-02-14): [Massive Bomb Kills ex-Lebanon PM Hariri, 21 Others](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable) > Synthesized from period reporting - A car bomb detonated near Rafic Hariri's convoy in central Beirut, killing the former prime minister and at least 21 others in what witnesses described as one of the capital's deadliest attacks in years. - **Al Jazeera** (2005-02-14): [Beirut Rocked by Massive Explosion Killing ex-PM](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable) > Synthesized from period reporting - AR: 'استهداف رفيق الحريري بعبوة ناسفة في بيروت' / EN: 'Rafic Hariri Targeted by Explosive Device in Beirut' - The blast, equivalent to approximately one ton of TNT, obliterated vehicles in Hariri's protective motorcade and shook buildings across downtown. - **BBC News** (2005-02-14): [Lebanon's ex-PM Killed in Blast](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable) > Rafic Hariri, Lebanon's most prominent political figure of the past decade and a driving force behind post-war reconstruction, has been killed in a car bomb explosion in Beirut. - **Le Monde** (2005-02-15): [Assassinat de Rafic Hariri a Beyrouth](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable) > Synthesized from period reporting - FR: 'Assassinat de Rafic Hariri a Beyrouth' / EN: 'Assassination of Rafic Hariri in Beirut' - L'ancien premier ministre libanais a ete tue avec au moins 20 autres personnes dans une explosion qui a dechire le centre-ville. ## Impact Hariri's death detonated a political upheaval that reshaped Lebanon's post-war order. The assassination fractured the country along sectarian and geopolitical lines, empowering Hezbollah while weakening March 14 forces, and set trajectories for Lebanese politics that reverberate today. International attention-particularly from the UN tribunal-exposed deeper tensions between Iranian and Western spheres of influence in the Levant. ## Sources - [Hariri assassination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Rafic_Hariri) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/2005/hariri-assassination