Son of businessman close to the LF says he was assaulted by Hezbollah supporters at Antonine University in Zahle

Michel Sakr, son of businessman Ibrahim Sakr, a close associate of the Lebanese Forces (LF) led by Samir Geagea, said on Wednesday that he was attacked by men “from the Hezbollah environment” on the campus of Antonine University in Ablah, in the Zahle region, just days after making critical comments about Hezbollah on a television program. The group, however, denied any involvement in the incident.

Contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, Antonine University Secretary General Father Ziad Maatouk said that a verbal altercation broke out on Wednesday afternoon between two students on the Zahle campus. According to him, the two students later reconciled and apologized to each other. He added that both were informed that evening of their suspension from classes until Tuesday, pending a decision by the disciplinary council.

Photos circulating online show a man purported to be Michel Sakr holding a Kalashnikov-type weapon, though L’Orient-Le Jour could not verify their authenticity.

'Son of Zahle'

In a video posted on his Instagram account, Michel Sakr begins his statement with the sign of the cross, then claims that "three men from the Hezbollah environment" attacked him at Antonine University, accusing them of "tarnishing the reputation of the Shiite community." He also said that his attackers "got what they deserved," before issuing several threats: "You made a mistake, not because you went after Ibrahim Sakr's son ... but because you went after the sons of Zahle, from a great Christian lineage."

The young man then refers to the siege of Zahle in 1981 by Syrian regime forces under Hafez Assad and the battles they fought with the Lebanese Forces. "Ask Hafez Assad how the Syrians were beaten and fled to Syria," he says, warning viewers against "what could happen to them" if they tried again to go after "the son of Zahle."

Contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, a Hezbollah source denied any involvement by the party in the incident. "We may have political differences with some individuals, but this kind of behavior is not like us," the source said.

Ibrahim Sakr, Michel's father, for his part, denounced, in a post on X, "an attack on the sanctity of knowledge and the prestige of the place," saying this was not a "trivial incident." He said his son would continue his studies and that the matter had been referred "to the competent authorities as well as to the U.S. Embassy," reminding that his son is also an American citizen.

'Putting faith in Jesus Christ'

On the April 20 episode of Mesh Masrahiyeh ("This is not theater"), a youth-focused program on local MTV, a pro-LF channel, Sakr, wearing a cross on his jacket, said that, unlike "those who pin their hopes on Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsor for a victory," in his view people should "put their faith in Jesus Christ."

Michel Sakr also argued that the still-inhabited Christian villages of south Lebanon "protect" that region, while Israel has imposed a "buffer zone" on about 600 square kilometers of Lebanese territory, occupying dozens of villages along the border. He also stated that, without the Christians, Lebanon would have become "a second Gaza."

Ibrahim Sakr and his brother Maroun, businessmen and devout Christians close to the LF who own a chain of gas stations, had run-ins with the law in 2021 amid a fuel crisis during Lebanon's economic collapse.