Hadi Abou al-Hosn, PSP MP. (Credit: Image taken from his Facebook account/MPHadiAboulhosn)
BEIRUT — The Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced Thursday the arrest of a suspect in the attack on Hadi Abu al-Hosn, a Progressive Socialist Party MP for Baabda, according to a statement posted on X.
The attack took place on May 7 in Qobbeih (Aley district) while he was attending a funeral. The suspect was identified as Maher Tarabay.
A source close to the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) told L’Orient-Le Jour that the attacker had attempted to throw a hand grenade toward Abu al-Hosn, but it fell to the ground before reaching him.
People present at the scene then rushed to overpower the man, who managed to flee after opening fire.
Speaking to L’Orient-Le Jour, Abu al-Hosn thanked the Lebanese Army and ISF for what he described as their “sustained efforts and follow-up.”
Asked about the motives behind the attack, the MP said he did not believe it was driven by “personal reasons,” stressing that it was important to determine the motives behind what he described as a criminal act.
He said he wanted to know whether the suspect had acted alone or on behalf of someone else, so that any instigator could also be identified.
Abu al-Hosn added that he was leaving it to the judiciary to “uncover all the threads, circumstances and details” surrounding the attack.
A former PSP member
A source following the case also said the motives behind the attack remain unclear.
Tarabay — who, like Abu al-Hosn, is Druze — is known locally as a “troublemaker” and is not affiliated with any political faction, according to the source.
Tarabay had repeatedly sought a firearms permit but was consistently denied. He had also previously opened fire on a former municipal president, the source added.
The same source said Abu al-Hosn, described as a “calm” MP, is not known to have personal enemies. Tarabay had often been seen attending the same events as him.
The source added that the suspect is a former PSP member and did not rule out the possibility that the attack was intended to provoke unrest or had been encouraged by a third party seeking to inflame political tensions.
In its claim, the source pointed to the use of a hand grenade — a weapon not typically associated with isolated individuals acting alone.
A source close to the PSP suggested last week that the “assassination attempt” could be linked to a broader campaign targeting the party and its leader over MP Walid Joumblatt’s positions on the events in Sweida, the Druze-majority province in southern Syria controlled by spiritual leader Hikmat Hijri’s armed group.
In July 2025, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s government attempted to impose its authority by force in the province, triggering clashes with Hijri’s militia and causing casualties among both Druze and Sunni civilians.
Joumblatt called for an investigation so that both sides could be held accountable, while also stressing the need for reconciliation between Damascus and the Druze of Sweida.
He also criticized Hijri’s growing ties with Israel — a stance that drew criticism from within parts of the Druze community.
According to the PSP source, the attack against Abu al-Hosn may have been intended as a “message” to Joumblatt, who traveled to Damascus on April 25 for talks with Sharaa.
This article was published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour and translated by Sahar Ghossoub.
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