In July 2004, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad confronted Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in Damascus, warning him that anyone opposing his preferred candidate for Lebanese president would face severe consequences, according to accounts from Abdul Halim Khaddam’s memoirs published by Aawsat and asharq.com.
Abdul Halim Khaddam, Syria’s former vice president, detailed a tense July 2004 meeting between Bashar al-Assad and Rafiq Hariri in Damascus, where Assad reportedly told Hariri, Anyone who opposes me will have their spine broken, according to memoirs published by Aawsat and asharq.com. The encounter, which took place at 7:30 a.m., involved senior Syrian military figures including General Ghazi Kanaan, Brigadier General Rustom Ghazaleh, and Colonel Muhammad Khlouf, who reportedly witnessed Hariri’s physical distress during the confrontation.
Political Tensions and the Shadow of Syria’s Influence
The meeting occurred amid longstanding tensions over Lebanon’s political trajectory. Khaddam’s memoirs trace the roots of the conflict to 1998, when Assad pressured his father, Hafez al-Assad, to back General Emile Lahoud for Lebanese president. Despite opposition from Lebanese leaders like Walid Jumblatt, Nabih Berri, and Hariri, Lahoud was elected. Khaddam claims he later requested to be removed from the Lebanese file, as his stance on Lahoud was well-known, allowing Assad to transfer oversight to security agencies.
During the 2004 meeting, Assad reportedly confronted Hariri directly, stating, I choose who rules Lebanon. Anyone who opposes me will have their spine broken. Hariri, representing Sunni Muslims in Lebanon, reportedly challenged Assad’s approach, asking, Do you think the media will not spread your words? How do you address a prime minister in front of these officers? The exchange left Hariri visibly shaken, with Khaddam noting he appeared “injured” after the meeting.
Hariri initially refused to meet Assad again, telling Khaddam via phone, After the last visit, I will not go to Damascus. However, he eventually agreed to a brief, tense encounter in Bloudan, where he later vowed, I will never forget my meeting with Bashar al-Assad as long as I live. The memoirs also reveal Assad’s internal conflict: on August 18, 2004, he reportedly told Khaddam he planned to oppose Lahoud’s re-election, citing international and domestic opposition. Yet three days later, after Khaddam was in France, Assad reportedly reversed his decision, pressuring Hariri to choose between Syria or Lebanon.
The Aftermath and Unresolved Questions
The events foreshadowed Hariri’s assassination in 2005, though the memoirs do not explicitly link the 2004 meeting to his death. Khaddam’s account highlights the fraught dynamics between Syria and Lebanon, where Assad’s influence extended into political appointments and media control. The memoirs also note that Hariri’s eventual decision to support Lahoud’s re-election, despite his reservations, was influenced by pressure from figures like Jumblatt, who advised him to agree to the extension and then resign.
