Rafik Hariri was killed in 2005; his family chose the second son as political heir, the other brothers sold him their shares of Saudi Oger, and the company closed in 2017

On 14 February 2005 a bomb in central Beirut killed former prime minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others and injured 226. On 18 August 2020 the Special Tribunal for Lebanon convicted Salim Ayyash in his absence; three co-accused were acquitted. The family business, Saudi Oger, was a construction firm in Saudi Arabia. Saad Hariri had managed the family companies since 1996. According to Condé Nast Portfolio, as reported by The World, the family chose Saad over his elder brother Bahaa as political heir because he was seen as more diplomatic. The brothers inherited stakes in Saudi Oger. Forbes Middle East reports that Fahd sold his to Saad in 2012 and Ayman in 2014; it gives 2008 for Bahaa in one profile and 2018 in another. Saudi Oger had about 38,000 workers. When Saudi oil revenue fell, the state stopped paying contractors. In November 2018 a source told AFP the firm was "finished"; thousands of workers went home unpaid. One former employee said he was owed 160,000 riyals. On 24 January 2022 Saad announced he was suspending his role in politics. In 2026 Forbes Middle East lists Bahaa at $2.3 billion.