The Israeli army has revealed what it described as “new information about Lebanese figures assassinated by Hezbollah’s Unit 121 because they knew more than they should have about the Beirut Port explosion.”
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on platform X: “The Israeli army discloses how Hezbollah’s Unit 121 carried out the assassinations of individuals who had threatened to expose the group’s role in the Beirut Port blast.”
He added: “The army reveals that Hezbollah’s Unit 121 assassinated four well-known Lebanese figures out of fear they would reveal details surrounding the August 2020 explosion, which occurred after ammonium nitrate stored by Hezbollah detonated. The victims included customs officers and journalists who had pointed to Hezbollah’s involvement.”
According to Adraee, the cases are as follows:
- Joseph Skaff, the former head of customs inspections at the Beirut Port, was thrown from a high place and killed by Unit 121 operatives in 2017 after requesting the removal of Hezbollah’s ammonium nitrate from the port, which is the same material that later caused the blast.
- Mounir Abou Rjeily, who headed the anti-smuggling division in the customs department, was stabbed to death by the unit’s operatives in December 2020 after providing information about Hezbollah’s link to the explosion.
- Joe Bejjani, a photographer who was among the first to document the aftermath of the blast and who had been working with the Lebanese army to support the investigation, was shot dead in his car in December 2020 by Unit 121 operatives, who stole his phone before fleeing.
- Lokman Slim, a political activist and journalist known for his outspoken criticism of Hezbollah, was also shot dead in his car in February 2021 by members of the unit, shortly after he publicly accused Hezbollah and the Assad regime of responsibility for the explosion.
Adraee concluded by saying: “Hezbollah has denied being involved in any of these four assassinations, and none of the investigations have been completed. These incidents come on top of the assassinations of Rafik Hariri and Elias Al-Hasrouni, in which we have previously exposed Hezbollah’s role, not to mention a long list we have not yet disclosed.”
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on platform X: “The Israeli army discloses how Hezbollah’s Unit 121 carried out the assassinations of individuals who had threatened to expose the group’s role in the Beirut Port blast.”
He added: “The army reveals that Hezbollah’s Unit 121 assassinated four well-known Lebanese figures out of fear they would reveal details surrounding the August 2020 explosion, which occurred after ammonium nitrate stored by Hezbollah detonated. The victims included customs officers and journalists who had pointed to Hezbollah’s involvement.”
According to Adraee, the cases are as follows:
- Joseph Skaff, the former head of customs inspections at the Beirut Port, was thrown from a high place and killed by Unit 121 operatives in 2017 after requesting the removal of Hezbollah’s ammonium nitrate from the port, which is the same material that later caused the blast.
- Mounir Abou Rjeily, who headed the anti-smuggling division in the customs department, was stabbed to death by the unit’s operatives in December 2020 after providing information about Hezbollah’s link to the explosion.
- Joe Bejjani, a photographer who was among the first to document the aftermath of the blast and who had been working with the Lebanese army to support the investigation, was shot dead in his car in December 2020 by Unit 121 operatives, who stole his phone before fleeing.
- Lokman Slim, a political activist and journalist known for his outspoken criticism of Hezbollah, was also shot dead in his car in February 2021 by members of the unit, shortly after he publicly accused Hezbollah and the Assad regime of responsibility for the explosion.
Adraee concluded by saying: “Hezbollah has denied being involved in any of these four assassinations, and none of the investigations have been completed. These incidents come on top of the assassinations of Rafik Hariri and Elias Al-Hasrouni, in which we have previously exposed Hezbollah’s role, not to mention a long list we have not yet disclosed.”
