A much-awaited live interview was done with Prime Minister Hariri on Sunday night hosted by Paula Yacoubian on Future TV, a channel associated with his political party.
It sought to dispel those rumors, but also raised some new questions as it was filled with bizarre moments.
An article published by the Washington Post listed some of these moments.
The man in the back of the room
At one point during the interview, Hariri’s eyes were wide open, moving to the back of the room, where the camera caught a man in the back corner, who was holding what appeared to be a rolled paper. The man, whose face was outside the frame, soon disappeared but not before the camera moved back to Hariri, who was staring toward him with an angry and disgusted look.
On Twitter, some Lebanese shared clips of the video and wondered if the man in the back had some kind of message for Hariri, fueling reports that the prime minister was being held against his will.
Hariri and the interviewer, Paula Yacoubian, realized the moment was caught on camera. Hariri explained after the break that the man was one of his staff, telling him of the latest developments in Lebanon.
Tired and near tears
Hariri looked sad and tired on Sunday, at times holding back tears in the interview that went on for over an hour. He repeatedly drank water, finishing his glass and asking for more, prompting Yacoubian to hand him her own glass of water. He repeatedly said he was ready to die for Lebanon but he added that he didn’t want his children to go through that kind of ordeal.
When asked about reports that he is not communicative and doesn’t use his phone much, he said: “I am in a reflective state,” adding that he didn’t want any distractions amid a very busy schedule.
Keeping it real
The Future TV channel had asked its viewers to share questions for Hariri under the hashtag #AskthePM in an attempt to dispel reports that the interview was pre-recorded. “I would never say it was live, if it was a recorded episode,” Yacoubian said near the end of the interview.
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