Syria Summons '4 Generals' for Hearing in False Witnesses Case, Sayyed Denies Receiving Hearing Orders

The Syrian military judiciary on Tuesday summoned the four Lebanese generals -- who served four years in prison on suspicion of involvement in the murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri – for hearing as witnesses in the case against "the two false witnesses" Mohammed Zuheir Siddiq and Fares Khashan.

The Four Generals are Jamil Sayyed, Ali al-Hajj, Raymond Azar and Mustafa Hamdan who respectively headed the General Security Department, the Internal Security Forces, Military Intelligence and the Presidential Guards Brigade.

Abdul Razzaq Homsi, the first investigating military judge in Damascus, noted that the four generals have been summoned for hearing "because of what they possess of detailed information which may benefit the investigation."

The Syrian military prosecutor had called for prosecuting "the two false witnesses" after lawyer Hussameddine Habash filed a lawsuit requesting to face the two witnesses "who were behind accusing Syria of being involved in the murder of Lebanese ex-PM Rafik Hariri."

Later Tuesday, Sayyed's press office denied in a statement "the report circulated by some media outlets this afternoon that Sayyed or any of the other generals had received any hearing orders from any judge in Damascus," noting that Sayyed "had previously gave his testimony upon filing his lawsuit in Damascus with the first investigating judge around one year ago."