Khaddam Recounts Final Damascus Meeting… Bashar to Hariri: ‘Whoever Defies Me, I Will Break His Bones’

In his forthcoming memoirs, former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam offers a stark account of a pivotal 2004 meeting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Khaddam describes the encounter, held in Damascus, as the most acrimonious in the period leading up to Hariri's assassination.

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Whoever defies me, I will break his bones.

The memoirs, edited by Ibrahim Hamidi, recount that Assad summoned Hariri for an early morning meeting in July 2004. Present were high-ranking Syrian officials, including Maj. Gen. Ghazi Kanaan and Brig. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh. According to Khaddam, Assad's aggressive tone caused Hariri's blood pressure to spike and his nose to bleed.

Khaddam traces the origins of this tension back to the 1998 election of Lebanese army commander Gen. Emile Lahoud as president. He alleges that Bashar al-Assad strongly advocated for Lahoud's presidency, persuading his father, Hafez al-Assad, to support the choice despite significant opposition from key Lebanese figures like Walid Jumblatt, Nabih Berri, and Hariri himself. Khaddam notes that Ghazi Kanaan also exerted pressure on Lebanese lawmakers to back Lahoud.

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Rafik Hariri was here, and I spoke to him clearly and frankly in the presence of the officers. I told him he was not allowed to work to bring in a president other than Emile Lahoud. I am the one who chooses who governs Lebanon, and whoever defies me, I will break his bones.

Khaddam recounts Assad recounting the meeting directly to him later that morning, quoting the Syrian president as saying: "Rafik Hariri was here, and I spoke to him clearly and frankly in the presence of the officers. I told him he was not allowed to work to bring in a president other than Emile Lahoud. I am the one who chooses who governs Lebanon, and whoever defies me, I will break his bones." Khaddam expressed shock at the remarks, questioning the repercussions if such words reached the media and how Lebanon's prime minister could be addressed so aggressively.

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You are speaking to the prime minister of Lebanon, who represents the Sunni Muslims in his country. Have you considered the repercussions if your words reach the media? How can you address Lebanon’s prime minister this way in the presence of these officers?

According to the memoirs, Assad later attempted to smooth over the incident, asking Khaddam to invite Hariri for another meeting. Hariri initially refused, telling Khaddam by phone, "After my last visit, I will not visit Damascus." He eventually agreed to meet Khaddam in Bloudan, appearing visibly "hurt" by the encounter. Hariri reportedly told Khaddam, "I will never forget my meeting with Bashar al-Assad as long as I live."

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After my last visit, I will not visit Damascus.