Mahmoud Ayoub (on the right) during his interview. (Credit: Screenshot from interview video)
A Lebanese man from Harouf in southern Lebanon has categorically denied reports in the press accusing him of collaborating with Israel and having been arrested for those actions by Lebanese authorities. He also stated he "filed a complaint with the prosecutor on this matter."
In an interview given to a local channel in Nabatieh on Facebook and reported by the Janoubiya site, the man appeared emotional and with his face uncovered to reject these "murderous lies" which, according to him, have damaged his dignity, that of his family and that of his village located in the Nabatieh district. Hezbollah also denied the information when contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour without further comment.
"This story has caused confusion in Harouf as this malicious rumor targeted me. I don't know who is behind it," Ayoub added during the interview. "It's a heavy accusation that fell on my head. I was stunned. I don't even know how I finished what I had to do at the hospital before telling my boss that I was going home. I stopped by the emergency room to have my blood pressure taken before leaving: It had risen to 18 over 9," he further recounted.
'I'm a driver, not a financial manager'
Ayoub also questioned the reasons why these rumors targeted his family. "We wonder why the Ayoub family [was targeted]," he stated. "I am Mahmoud Ayoub. I am a driver, not a financial manager at the hospital. Everyone has known me since 1985. The security services, Hezbollah and the hospital management know who I am," he continued. "I am at home. Today, I was in Nabatieh. Tomorrow, we have a summons with the judge to follow up on the case," he added.
The information, extensively reported on Monday by several media outlets, had initially been broadcast by the Saudi television channel Al-Hadath. Citing its sources, it stated that "the intelligence branch of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces, in coordination with Hezbollah, had arrested a Hezbollah member suspected of collaborating with Israeli intelligence in the locality of Harouf," naming him Mahmoud Ayoub. The sources contacted by the channel also claimed that the person concerned held the position of financial manager at the Ragheb Harb Hospital of Toul, in the Nabatieh district.
As of Monday, the residents of Harouf, the Ayoub family, as well as relatives of "martyrs" killed by Israel during and after the war between Hezbollah and Israel between Oct. 8, 2023, and the entry into force of the truce on Nov. 27, have published a virulent statement rejecting "with utmost firmness the unfounded and malicious accusations" targeting Ayoub. "We categorically reject these accusations that we consider an affront to the dignity of our village and its noble national history of resistance," the statement further read. The authors of the statement denounced "suspect and systematic attempts to sow discord and suspicion among our fellow citizens."
"We affirm that any accusation must be based on irrefutable facts and follow a transparent judicial process, and not on media campaigns or malicious rumors aimed at harming the social and national fabric," they continued, calling on "the media and social network users to show rigor and responsibility and to refrain from spreading rumors that harm people and sow discord." "Our village, which has sacrificed so much for the homeland, refuses to have its name or that of one of its sons sullied," they concluded.
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
