Journalist Rami Naim. Photo taken from his Instagram account.
Journalist Rami Naim, renowned for his outspoken criticism of Hezbollah, revealed Thursday on the social network X that Amal and Hezbollah had targeted two journalists, Assaad Bechara and Youssef Diab, on the same day. This comes after Naim himself was assaulted in Beirut on June 18 by approximately twenty armed men allegedly linked to Hezbollah – a claim disputed by the party.
"Today, a group of thugs attacked the president of the Journalists for Freedom association, Assaad Bechara... urging him to leave Beirut, considering the city belongs only to Hezbollah supporters," wrote Naim on X. "This intimidation seems to have started with me, continued with Youssef Diab, and now Assaad. And no one knows who is next? Judges and security forces, what are you waiting for?" he questioned in his post.
When asked for comment on Naim's allegations, Hezbollah's office declined, dismissing them as "baseless claims."
Assaad Bechara
The incident allegedly occurred around 1:30 p.m. Thursday during an interview in downtown Beirut, on the sidewalk of the Azariye building, according to Bechara, who spoke to L’Orient Le-Jour. "The shoot was planned for two minutes, but a man dressed in black arrived and told us filming was prohibited. He was aggressive. It was clear he intended to cause harm," Bechara reported, adding that he and his crew were then surrounded by three individuals. "We sought to understand the filming restrictions. Initially, they cited private property concerns. As tensions escalated, they insisted no criticism against the 'resistance' was allowed." Bechara claimed, noting he wasn’t physically attacked but found the encounter unprecedented.
Despite opting against filing a complaint, Bechara is convinced Hezbollah and Amal are responsible and condemned the creation of an environment in Beirut where freedom of speech is restricted.
"I pose this question to the public and security officials: Is Beirut no longer under the control of its official legal forces?"
The Internal Security Forces (ISF), contacted for comment, did not respond, citing the absence of a formal complaint.
Youssef Diab
Like Naim, Bechara highlighted the intimidation campaign against Youssef Diab, a journalist at the pan-Arab daily al-Shark al-Awsat, which was denounced on June 23 by the SKeyes Foundation for Media and Cultural Freedom. The foundation reported Diab faced "a campaign of intimidation, incitement, and threats of physical assault on social media" after appearing on Sky News Arabia. There, he discussed a controversial article by The Telegraph claiming Hezbollah stored weapons at Beirut international airport.
Diab cautioned the article could endanger the airport, making it an "Israeli target" and stressing the issue should "concern the Lebanese state first and foremost." "The state knows Hezbollah's security control over the airport; it's common knowledge," he stated, adding, "The route to the airport is also under Hezbollah's security control."
In response to the campaign, Diab defended his stance on MTV's website, asserting, "My patriotism and anti-Israel stance are unwavering," and he placed the "campaign of treason and threats" under Lebanese judicial and security agency purview.
Despite ongoing challenges since Sunday, Diab assured L'Orient Le-Jour, "While worrisome and dangerous, it won't hange my convictions as a journalist or a Lebanese citizen who believes this country should be a space of all freedoms."
Diab also criticized "Hezbollah’s electronic army," noting, "This isn't the first incident," but emphasized, "Never before have I been accused of being Israeli or Zionist or faced expulsion demands," he objected. Like Bechara, he refrains from filing a complaint "for now."
"My colleagues have advised me not to [file a complaint], to prevent the campaign from escalating further. We are waiting for things to calm down."
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour
