Hezbollah condemns arrest of al-Mayadeen official in occupied West Bank

Hezbollah on Monday condemned the Israeli army's arrest of Nasser Laham, the West Bank bureau chief of the pro-Iranian Lebanese television channel "Al-Mayadeen" and editor-in-chief of the Palestinian news agency "Ma'an."

According to Ma’an, Laham was arrested in the early hours of the morning at his home in the village of al-Dheisheh, near Bethlehem. The agency reported that Israeli forces had detained him overnight and caused damage to his residence during the raid.

In a statement, Hezbollah called on "all press bodies and international and human rights organizations to condemn this crime and to exert pressure by all means," to demand the unconditional release of Laham.

According to "Haaretz," Nasser Laham is expected to be presented at the Ofer military court on Thursday for a hearing on the extension of his detention. The Israeli army has not yet responded to a request for comment from the left-leaning Israeli newspaper.

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The number of Palestinian journalists currently held in administrative detention by the Israeli authorities, without charge or trial, stands at 22, out of a total of 55 journalists held in Israeli prisons, according to Ma'an. The agency notes that among them, 49 journalists have been detained since the beginning of the war in Gaza.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and conducts regular raids against Palestinian militants. However, the current military offensive in the northern part of the territory is the longest of its kind in two decades.

Founded in 2002 following a partnership between "Bethlehem TV," a local Palestinian television channel, and various local Palestinian media, the "Ma’an News Agency," also known by the acronym MNA, is a non-governmental media outlet managed by independent journalists from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The MNA is one of the largest Palestinian news agencies and provides continuous coverage of local news.