33 Facts About Rafic Hariri

Rafic Hariri was widely credited for his role in constructing the Taif Agreement that ended the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.

Rafic Hariri played a huge role in reconstructing the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Rafic Hariri was the first post-civil war prime minister and the most influential and wealthiest Lebanese politician at the time.

On 14 February 2005, Rafic Hariri was assassinated in a suicide truck bomb explosion in Beirut.

At one point, Rafic Hariri was one of the world's 100 wealthiest men and the fourth-richest politician.

Rafic Hariri was born on 1 November 1944 to a modest Sunni Muslim family in the Lebanese port city of Sidon.

Rafic Hariri attended elementary and secondary school in Sidon, and graduated in business administration from Beirut Arab University.

In 1969, Rafic Hariri established Ciconest, a small subcontracting firm, which soon went out of business.

Rafic Hariri then went into business with the French construction firm Oger for the construction of a hotel in Ta'if, Saudi Arabia, the timely construction of which earned him praise from King Khaled.

Rafic Hariri took over Oger, forming Saudi Oger, which became the main construction firm used by the Saudi Royal family for all their important developments.

Rafic Hariri laid the groundwork that led to the 1989 Taif Accord, which Saudi Arabia organised to bring the warring factions together.

Rafic Hariri returned to Lebanon in the early 1980s as a wealthy man and began to build a name for himself by making large donations and contributions to various groups in Lebanon.

Rafic Hariri was implanted as the Saudis' strong man following the collapse of the PLO and the paucity of any viable Sunni leadership in the country as well as a response to the rising power of the Shiite militia Amal.

In 1992, Rafic Hariri became the first post-civil war prime minister of Lebanon under president Elias Hrawi.

Rafic Hariri put the country back on the financial map through the issuing of Eurobonds and won plaudits from the World Bank for his plan to borrow reconstruction money as the country's debt grew to become the largest per capita in the world.

In October 2000, Rafic Hariri was again appointed prime minister, replacing Salim Hoss, and formed the cabinet.

Specifically, Rafic Hariri supported foreign firms and individuals taking an interest in Lebanon's developmental potential.

Rafic Hariri simplified tax codes and provided tax breaks to foreign investors.

Rafic Hariri pursued aggressive macroeconomic policy such as maintaining strict regulations on bank reserves and inter-bank interest rates to curb inflation and raise the value of the Lebanese pound relative to the dollar.

August 11,1994, the Rafic Hariri government issued a ban on organized demonstrations, relying on the Lebanese Army to enforce the decree.

The radio stations which were given licenses were Rafic Hariri's Orient Radio, Berri's NBN, and the Lebanese Forces's Voice of Free Lebanon.

Rafic Hariri responded that Hezbollah were the ones protecting Lebanon against the Israeli occupation and called for implementation of passed United Nations resolutions against Israel.

Rafic Hariri further went on to say that Syria would have to stay in Lebanon for protection of Lebanon until they are no longer needed and Lebanon asks them to leave.

Rafic Hariri was accused of corruption, which plagued Lebanon during the Syrian occupation.

Rafic Hariri was accused of allowing allowed kickbacks from public spending to enrich government figures.

Rafic Hariri married his second spouse, Nazik Audi, in 1976 and she is the mother of three of Hariri's children: Ayman, Fahd and Hind.

On 14 February 2005, Rafic Hariri was killed when explosives equivalent to around 1,800 kilograms of TNT concealed inside a parked Mitsubishi van were detonated as his motorcade drove near the St George Hotel in Beirut.

Rafic Hariri was buried along with his bodyguards, who died in the bombing, in a location near Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque.

Rafic Hariri was one of French President Jacques Chirac's closest friends.

Rafic Hariri attended the funeral, accompanied by his wife, Bernadette Chirac.

Sayyed was one of the persons who decided to assassinate Rafic Hariri according to a leaked draft version of the Mehlis report along with other Syrian high-rank intelligence and security officers and officials, namely Assef Shawkat, Maher Assad, Hassan Khalil and Bahjat Suleyman.

In 2024, Salim Jamil Ayyash, the assassin of Rafic Hariri was reportedly killed by an IDF strike near al-Qusayr in the Homs region.

Rafic Hariri was succeeded by his son Saad Hariri as leader of the Future Party.