Hezbollah condemns distinguished Lebanese critic’s death, warns against political exploitation

The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has strongly condemned the assassination of prominent political activist and researcher Lokman Slim, calling on security and judicial authorities to hold perpetrators to account.

Hezbollah, in a statement released late Thursday, deplored the murder of 58-year-old Slim, demanding that security and judiciary officials launch a swift investigation and reveal the circumstances surrounding the incident, and punish the culprits.

The resistance movement called on government authorities to “combat crimes that have spread around Lebanon, and which have been exploited politically and by the media at the expense of domestic security and stability.”

Lebanese security and forensic officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said Slim’s body was found in his car on a rural road near the southern village of Addoussieh on Thursday morning, with multiple wounds from gunshots fired at close range.

Afif Khafajeh, a coroner who inspected Slim’s body, said there were several bullets in the corpse — three in the head, one in the chest and one in the back.

A security official at the scene said Slim’s ID card, phone and gun were missing. His phone was later found on the side of a road.

He had been missing since late Wednesday and his family had posted social media messages looking for him.

His killing has raised fears that Lebanon’s political tensions could turn into a new wave of assassinations. The small Mediterranean country has a history of political crimes and violence.

Slim was one the most prominent Lebanese intellectuals to be gunned down since journalist Samir Kassir known for his anti-Syrian writings was assassinated when a bomb exploded in his car on June 2, 2005.

The explosion, which happened in the Christian Ashrafieh neighborhood of Beirut, set the car on fire.

Anti-Syrian groups, most notably Samir Geagea’s Lebanese Forces (LF), were quick to blame Damascus and its Lebanese allies, alleging the involvement of then president Emile Lahoud who was Syria’s greatest supporter in Lebanon.