Saad Hariri, Rafik's son (Photo by Wikicommons, user United States Department of State)

Update 13 January
Sh'iites and Hezbollahs toppled the leadership of Saad Hariri, the son of the Prime Minister killed in 2005, following the indictments of the International Court set up to investigate that murder. While verdict is awaited, there is growing fear of a renewal of civil war.

26 November 2010
Hariri case nearer the truth
masterminds' names to be revealed
On 10 December the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon will make known the names of those who planned the former MP's assassination. From then on the Country's political crisis could turn into civil war. Hezbollah leader Nasrallah threaten to "cut off hands to all those will dishonour our name".

23 November
Lebanon on the brink of a coup
after revelations about the Hariri case
For the Mideastern Country it is more and more difficult to keep its stability laboriously reached in 2006, after the withdrawal of the Syrian troops and Israel's offensive against the extremist Muslim party Hezbollah.

Lebano is a refuge for all religious minorities of the Middle East and is governed in turn by each of them: Druzes, Shi'te, Sunni, Maronite Christians and others.

The discord was sown by the inquiry about the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, the blame of which is put on the government of Damascus and the Hezbollah. The international court set up by the UN in The Hague in 2'009 confermed the responsibilities of Hezbollah, who don't accept this outcome.

Their reaction leads to fear a harshening of sectarian violence. "God's party" as they call themselves controls a large part of Southern Lebanon and the UN requests to dismantle all Country's armed groups seem to fall short.

The situation is deemed to be very worrysome by diplomacies all over the world and there have been interventions of Israel, Italy, Turkey and other States.

read the BBC feature, 25 November 2010