Nouh Zaiter, the famous Lebanese drug lord, was arrested on Nov. 20, 2025 in the Bekaa. (Photo circulated on social media platforms)
The news came as a surprise. Everyone thought he was untouchable, but then on Thursday, Nouh Zaiter, Lebanon's most notorious drug lord, was arrested by the army in a raid on the outskirts of his hometown.The 48-year-old 'Lebanese Pablo Escobar' was detained without resistance or any exchange of fire, according to the Lebanese Army, in the village of Kneiseh in the Baalbeck-Hermel governorate.Zaiter, who is known to have a certain proximity to Hezbollah, has been on the run for years and his sudden capture raises many questions, both in terms of its timing and its implications. Lebanon is facing ever-mounting pressure from Gulf countries — led by Saudi Arabia — to curb drug trafficking within its borders, and from the U.S. and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, which was weakened in its recent war with Israel. From L'Orient...
The news came as a surprise. Everyone thought he was untouchable, but then on Thursday, Nouh Zaiter, Lebanon's most notorious drug lord, was arrested by the army in a raid on the outskirts of his hometown.The 48-year-old 'Lebanese Pablo Escobar' was detained without resistance or any exchange of fire, according to the Lebanese Army, in the village of Kneiseh in the Baalbeck-Hermel governorate.Zaiter, who is known to have a certain proximity to Hezbollah, has been on the run for years and his sudden capture raises many questions, both in terms of its timing and its implications. Lebanon is facing ever-mounting pressure from Gulf countries — led by Saudi Arabia — to curb drug trafficking within its borders, and from the U.S. and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, which was weakened in its recent war with Israel. From L'Orient...
