Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Rafic Hariri

Role / Field:

Influential Lebanese businessman and politician, served multiple times as Prime Minister.

Born:

1944-11-01

Died:

2005-02-14

Century / Era:

1944s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri (Arabic: رفيق بهاء الدين الحريري, romanized: Rafīq Bahāʾ ad-Dīn al-Ḥarīrī; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004. Hariri headed five cabinets during his tenure. He was widely credited for his role in constructing the Taif Agreement that ended the 15-year Lebanese Civil War. He also played a huge role in reconstructing the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He was the first post-civil war prime minister and the most influential and wealthiest Lebanese politician at the time. During Hariri's first term as prime minister, tensions between Israel and Lebanon increased, as a result of the Qana massacre. In 2000, during his second premiership, his biggest achievement was the Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, ending an 18-year old occupation, while his government solidified relations with Ba'athist Syria. On 14 February 2005, Hariri was assassinated in a suicide truck bomb explosion in Beirut. Four Hezbollah members of Unit 121 were indicted for the assassination and were tried in absentia by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Salim Ayyash...

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• 1944 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1944
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Frequently Asked Questions about Rafic Hariri