Shelling on Hezbollah opponent residence in Hermel

A doctor and activist opposed to Hezbollah, Dr. Hadi Mourad, said Saturday that his home in Hermel, a region located on the Lebanese-Syrian border, was hit by shellfire during the night from Friday to Saturday. The perpetrators of the attack are still unknown, but the victim indirectly accused the party of being responsible and called on President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to address the matter.

"A very serious security incident occurred at 3:30 this morning, and I entrust it to President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam," Mourad wrote on his X account.

"My house, located in Brital, has just been hit by a shell — fired by enemies from within, the bats of the night who want to destroy the state and reject the unity of this nation's people," he added, noting that "the lower floor houses a displaced Syrian family, including five children."

'I will take you to court'

A video posted with the message shows what appears to be the building's staircase, covered in shards of glass. The windows, blown out by the strike, have lost their panes, and their twisted frames hang in midair.

"We used to fear our homes being bombed by Israel, now the enemies from within are no different, bombing them in the same way," the doctor added.

"Earlier that day, I entered my village with my head held high and hosted a lunch in honor of honorable men. But the fifth column — those cowardly rats — did not dare confront me in person at my home. Instead, they attacked after I left," Mourad continued.

"To you, the vile and the lawless, I say this: I will take you to court. I am Lebanese, Shiite, a moderate Arab, and I oppose your savagery. I will make you regret not being behind bars, under the authority of the law," he concluded.

At a press conference held at 1 p.m., Mourad looked back on his day on Friday, reiterating that he had not returned to Britel to support any candidacy in the municipal elections starting on Sunday. “I don't care about names; what interests me is unity. I spoke of the need for pluralism and acceptance of others,” he said. He also called on the army to guarantee the safety of citizens “north of the Litani.”

“We expected the shells to be directed at Israel, but they fell on our homes. What Israel couldn't do, the internal enemy does. If the Lebanese Army is deployed south of the Litani, who is protecting us, President, north of the Litani?”

“We, the moderate Shiites of Lebanon, are caught between three enemies: Israel, the shadowy militants of the night, and the state, which sometimes fails and refuses to protect us. The only solution for us is for the State and the law to put criminals in prison. The interesting thing is that the Israeli army's [Arabic-speaking] spokesperson Avichay Adraee [via whom Tel Aviv makes its bombing threats in Lebanon and Gaza] warns before bombing inhabited houses, whereas these boys didn't even warn,” concluded the doctor.

According to our correspondent in the region, Sarah Abdallah, this attack occurred in response to Sheikh Abbas Jawhari's visit to Mourad ahead of the municipal elections scheduled for May 18, 2025, in the Baalbeck-Hermel region. The sheikh, also opposed to the party, had already been the target of a grenade and gunfire in Baalbeck in May 2018. At the time, he was a candidate in the legislative elections in the Baalbeck-Hermel constituency before withdrawing, and he also accused Hezbollah of being behind the attack.

The truce concluded at the end of November 2024 between Hezbollah and Israel is still holding despite numerous violations, but the party refuses to give up its arsenal by imposing a series of conditions. A security official recently stated that the Lebanese Army had completed dismantling more than 90 percent of Hezbollah's infrastructure south of the Litani River.