The memoirs of former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam have revealed new details about the final days before the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, including a meeting between the two men just six days before the bombing.
According to Khaddam’s account, he warned Hariri against remaining in Lebanon and urged him to leave the country. Hariri reportedly responded that he could not leave because he was involved in upcoming elections.
Khaddam Warned Hariri to Leave Lebanon
The memoirs, edited by Ibrahim Hamidi, editor-in-chief of Al Majalla magazine, are expected to be published as a book by Raf Publishing, affiliated with the Saudi Research and Media Group.
Khaddam recalled that during a meeting of the Baath Party’s regional leadership at the Syrian presidential palace in January 2005, then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told party leaders that there was an alleged “American-French conspiracy against Syria” and claimed that Rafik Hariri was involved in it.
Khaddam said he was surprised by the statement. Two days later, he conveyed a verbal message to Hariri through former Lebanese Defense Minister Mohsen Dalloul, warning that Hariri’s situation had become complicated and urging him to leave Lebanon immediately.
Hariri: “I Have Elections”
On February 8, 2005, Khaddam traveled to Beirut for medical examinations at the American University of Beirut Medical Center and later met Hariri for lunch at his home.
According to Khaddam’s memoirs, Hariri was concerned and asked about the message delivered by Dalloul. Khaddam repeated his warning and again urged him to leave Lebanon.
Hariri reportedly replied: “I have elections… How can I leave the people and go?”
Khaddam responded: “Your life is more important than the people, and your family is more important than the elections.”
Hariri Asked About Maher al-Assad and Security
The memoirs also describe other details from the meeting, including Hariri’s questions about the role of Maher al-Assad.
According to the account, Aouni al-Kaaki, owner of Al Sharq newspaper, had told Hariri that Maher al-Assad wanted to establish a relationship with him and was prepared to resolve existing disputes between Hariri and the Syrian president.
Hariri was reportedly also told that Maher al-Assad considered him a “loyal friend of Syria.” Khaddam, however, again warned Hariri against relying on such assurances and urged him to leave Lebanon.
The two men also discussed Hariri’s security arrangements. According to the memoirs, Hariri said he had around 50 bodyguards, but most had subsequently been withdrawn, leaving only six security personnel.
Six Days Later, Hariri Was Assassinated
Six days after that meeting, on February 14, 2005, Khaddam was attending a meeting of the Baath Party’s regional leadership in Damascus when he saw a breaking-news report about a major explosion in Beirut.
Minutes later, it became clear that the blast had targeted Rafik Hariri’s convoy. Hariri was killed along with several members of his security detail and civilians.
Khaddam said he informed the Syrian leadership that he wanted to travel to Beirut to offer his condolences. He recalled receiving a response through the president’s office: “If you want to go, go in your personal capacity.”
Khaddam subsequently traveled to Beirut with his wife and two sons to attend Hariri’s funeral.
The Attempted Assassination of Marwan Hamadeh
The memoirs also revisit an assassination attempt against Lebanese politician and MP Marwan Hamadeh, an ally of Walid Jumblatt, about four months before Hariri’s killing in October 2004.
Khaddam described the attack as a “warning directed at all opponents of President Lahoud in Lebanon.”
He recalled calling Rustum Ghazaleh, then head of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon, the following day and informing him that he intended to visit Hamadeh at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, where Jumblatt and several members of his party, along with journalist and politician Gebran Tueni, were present while Hamadeh underwent surgery.
A Chain of Events Before Hariri’s Assassination
Khaddam’s memoirs present his account of a series of developments that preceded Hariri’s assassination, beginning with the extension of former Lebanese President Émile Lahoud’s term and the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1559, followed by the attempted assassination of Marwan Hamadeh and escalating political and media pressure on Hariri.
The memoirs do not constitute a new judicial finding regarding Hariri’s assassination. Instead, they present Khaddam’s account of his meetings, communications and observations in the period leading up to the bombing, particularly the details of his final lunch with Hariri six days before the former Lebanese prime minister was killed.
