A missile exploded two weeks ago near the convoy of former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri

History has been repeating again. It was 2005 when former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed when a car bomb exploded as his convoy passed in a street in central Beirut. Fifteen years later, Lebanese security forces are investigating an explosion two weeks ago near the convoy in which his son, Saad Hariri, was travelling, the former prime minister's office reported on Sunday, as previously announced by the Al Hadath television channel. "Since the convoy was not exposed to any attack... [ Hariri's decision] was to keep it secret and wait for the results of the investigation by the relevant security forces," the statement said. 

The explosion occurred, according to several media reports in the region, about 500 metres from Hariri's convoy on 17 June, while the former prime minister was visiting a mountainous area in the eastern Bekaa valley. Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the economic crisis has taken on a political dimension. In recent weeks, clashes have taken place between supporters of the Future Movement - Lebanon's political party led by Saad Hariri - and the Amal movement, a Shiite political organisation aligned with Hizbollah. 

The collapse of the currency, rising inflation and the deep financial crisis in Lebanon have led hundreds of people to attend demonstrations across the country. Lebanon - with some five million people and more than 1.5 million refugees - is one of the most heavily indebted nations in the world. The state led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab is currently facing its worst economic crisis since the country's 1975-1990 civil war. The protests that began in October to end mismanagement of resources and ended with the resignation of Hariri, who was accused of corruption, have taken on a political dimension several months later. 

Al-Hadath TV reported that the explosion occurred when a convoy of about 30 vehicles carrying Hariri was returning to Beirut, after the meeting with Sheikh Khalil al-Mais in the eastern village of Makseh. This television channel also claimed that the security forces had searched the area and found the remains of a missile, stressing that the authorities were investigating whether the missile had been fired from a drone or from the ground.  Hariri served as Prime Minister from 2009 to 2011 and was elected in 2016 to form the Government as a consensus candidate to break the institutional deadlock caused by the rift between the political forces.

A UN-backed tribunal has accused members of the militant group Hizbollah of being behind the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the father of the former prime minister, who was killed on 14 February 2005 in a terrorist attack that killed 21 other people. The Lebanese police issued a statement on Sunday clarifying that during Hariri's visit to Bekaa, one person had admitted seeing an object hit the ground and explode; they therefore decided to open an investigation of the incident. 

The citizens of Lebanon have been concerned about the fast rising inflation and declining quality of life in their nation, which has been exacerbated in recent months by the coronavirus pandemic. In this scenario, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called a meeting with the United States ambassador "in light of her latest statements".  In an interview with the Saudi-owned Al-Hadath news channel broadcast Friday, Dorothy Shea said the United States was concerned about "the role of Hezbollah" in the country. "Billions of dollars have been diverted that should have gone into government coffers so that the government can provide basic services to its people. In addition, it has obstructed some of the economic reforms that the Lebanese economy so desperately needs," he criticized. 

Meanwhile, the economic crisis remains a concern in the country. The Lebanese currency hit new lows on Friday, after the pound was traded on the illegal parallel market on Thursday at 6,800 against the dollar, a loss in value of more than 75% as the official exchange rate remains at 1,515 pounds since 1997. President Michel Aoun warned last Thursday of a "civil war atmosphere" after speaking of recent riots in Lebanon, demonstrations he described as "attempts to stoke sectarian tensions in the midst of a financial crisis".