Israeli army claims Hezbollah killed Elias Hasrouni in 2023
The Israeli army on Friday claimed that it has managed to confirm that Hezbollah’s so-called Unit 121 was behind the 2023 “assassination” of Lebanese Forces official Elias Hasrouni in south Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district.
“This comes contrary to the rumors spread by Hezbollah, which claimed that he was killed in a traffic accident. Hasrouni, aged 70 when he was assassinated, was known for his stance that fiercely opposes Hezbollah,” Israeli army Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X.
“On the night of August 1, 2023, members of Unit 121 ambushed Hasrouni on a road near his home in Ain Ebel, southern Lebanon. They kidnapped him and killed him by poisoning and breaking his ribs. Then, to create the impression that he had veered off the road and died in a car accident, they returned his body to his car, which had crashed into a tree, and left him inside in a ditch by the side of the road,” Adraee said.
He added: “Unit 121, also known as Hezbollah’s Surveillance and Special Operations Unit, carries out assassinations targeting journalists, officers, politicians and other figures in Lebanon who oppose Hezbollah and its activities. This unit is considered the party’s internal security arm, which it uses to track down and eliminate its opponents,” Adraee claimed.
“Among the unit’s victims are numerous prominent figures, most notably former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The unit’s commander, Salim Ayyash, was convicted in 2020 by the U.N. Special Tribunal for Lebanon for leading the team that carried out Hariri’s assassination,” Adraee went on to say.
He added: “Despite the heavy blow Hezbollah suffered during the war, it continues to attempt to sow chaos in Lebanon and rebuild its strength through Unit 121 and other means. The Lebanese people, yearning for stability and prosperity, are fully aware of the necessity to rid themselves of this disintegrating Iranian proxy that has dragged the country into senseless wars, spies on the population and assassinates its opponents.”
Source: Naharnet
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