Search warrant issued for journalist Rami Naim after controversial comments

BEIRUT — Jamal Hajjar, the public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, issued a search warrant Wednesday against journalist Rami Naim, known for his ties to the Lebanese Forces. Naim, however, claims he has not been officially notified.

"No one informed me that I was called to appear. I learned of this measure by reading what Hezbollah-related accounts were posting on social networks and on some partisan websites, without receiving any official notification," he said in a post on his X account. The journalist denounced what he called a "politicized" justice system, claiming that "the Hezbollah camp was made aware of the report before anyone else," and referred to the lingering influence of Wafic Safa, the former head of security for Hezbollah.

This decision comes as Rami Naim has made several media appearances in recent days, including on Hala Arabia TV with Walid Abboud, as well as on other platforms such as Elsiyasa Plus, where he made particularly scathing remarks against Hezbollah. When asked to participate in a segment called "White or Black" as part of a program, Naim identified Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "white," stating that Netanyahu had given him a "gift" by "getting rid" of Hezbollah.

He also explicitly called for foreign intervention in Lebanon, suggesting that if the Lebanese Army failed to act, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa should "enter through the Bekaa" to "rid" the country of Hezbollah, and asked for the "help of anyone who can rid us of this cancer in the Lebanese body." He added that Lebanon was heading toward a civil war, assuring that "everyone is ready and preparing," even if, in his view, this was at the individual level. He also noted that everyone is "armed."

In his statements, Naim called for drastic measures against Hezbollah, arguing that "anyone affiliated" with the group "should be detained, expelled, or declared an outlaw by the state." He went on to say that "if anything called Hezbollah remains after the war, it will turn against Lebanon from within and try to take revenge."

Regarding the Lebanese Army, the journalist asserted that the pro-Iranian group could target the army if it tried to disarm it. For him, "the greatest threat to Lebanon's entity, existence, and identity is Hezbollah," adding that "if it is not eliminated, we will have a problem," and calling for cooperation "with anyone."

These remarks were made as Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into war in the Middle East on March 2 by launching missiles at Israel in retaliation for Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran. With its involvement in this new conflict, the party drew the wrath of Lebanese authorities, who declared its military activities illegal the day after its entry into the war.