THREAD: many in Lebanon were expecting drama of high profile indictment like Milosevic trial, this was never going to be the case. Tho it acquitted 3 defendants, @STLebanon found 4th guilty. Remember the tribunal had no mandate to prosecute states or parties.

But UN tribunal has now determined beyond doubt that key operative in Hezbollah, a highly centralized political group/militant org, was guilty in plot to assassinate former premier Rafiq Hariri in 05, a politically motivated plot that wud benefit Hezb and patrons in Damascus.

If there is no direct evidence that leadership of Hezbollah and Syria gave orders it doesn’t mean they are innocent just that the evidence of guilt was not there partly because tribunal was limited to individuals.

Hezbollah and supporters will spin this as a victory, try now to paint Ayyash as 1 individual acting alone. But that’s not how group operates. Tribunal also established high profile operative Mustafa Badrreddine was involved. Now dead, he was also a buddy of Qassem Suleimani.

So this is no victory for Hezbollah even if it’s not the dramatic verdict many had hoped for, especially the families of the victims #lebanon #beirut #stl #hariri