Lebanese security forces have foiled a plot to assassinate Sidon politicians, including MP Bahia Hariri and her son, Future Movement official Ahmad Hariri, local daily Al-Liwaa reported Monday. The report, citing unnamed sources, said security agencies have thwarted a "serious" scheme to assassinate high-ranking Sidon personalities with the aim of creating sectarian strife starting from the southern provincial city. Bahia Hariri and her son, Future Movement Secretary-General Ahmad Hariri, were the top targets on the hit list, according to the report. Among others on the list, which is designed to target political figures across Lebanon, were Sheikh Maher Hammoud, a prominent Sunni preacher who is an ally of Hezbollah, and Mohammad Dirani, a commander in the Hezbollah-affiliated Resistance Brigades. Al-Liwaa said security agencies made several arrests in the assassination plot, adding that other suspects remain at large. The report came as Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri expressed concern that he may also have been a target in the assassination plot. Asiri, speaking from Riyadh by telephone with Al-Liwaa, said he will request "clarification from Lebanese authorities regarding information" on the assassination plot against him and other political figures across Lebanon. The Saudi envoy said he was seeking "a confirmation or denial" of the report.
