Ghazi Kanaan bids farewell to Rafik Hariri, accompanied by Colonel Rustom Ghazale, who succeeds him as the head of Syrian intelligence services in Lebanon, on Oct. 1, 2002. Archives L’Orient-Le Jour.
Feb. 13, 2005. Around $67,000 are sent by former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to the strongman of Damascus in Lebanon, Rustom Ghazaleh, head of Syrian military intelligence operations in Lebanon since 2002. Neither the amount nor the maneuver is surprising: over a period of 12 years, the officer reportedly amassed more than $10 million through monthly payments.To navigate the murky waters of Lebanese politics and, even more, to build the stable and prosperous Lebanon he dreams of, Hariri knows he must go through those who control the country. In the post-war upheaval, it's impossible to escape the tentacular grip of the neighboring regime. Only this time, the payment is the second of the month.Ghazaleh had been complaining for days: he still hadn't received his "due." Hariri knows he's lying, but he decides...
Feb. 13, 2005. Around $67,000 are sent by former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to the strongman of Damascus in Lebanon, Rustom Ghazaleh, head of Syrian military intelligence operations in Lebanon since 2002. Neither the amount nor the maneuver is surprising: over a period of 12 years, the officer reportedly amassed more than $10 million through monthly payments.To navigate the murky waters of Lebanese politics and, even more, to build the stable and prosperous Lebanon he dreams of, Hariri knows he must go through those who control the country. In the post-war upheaval, it's impossible to escape the tentacular grip of the neighboring regime. Only this time, the payment is the second of the month.Ghazaleh had been complaining for days: he still hadn't received his "due." Hariri knows he's lying, but he...