Khaberni - The Israeli military has reported that a special unit belonging to Hezbollah is responsible for the assassination of Lebanese figures, allegedly intending to reveal information about the Beirut port explosion in August 2020.
The Israeli military spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, clarified that "Unit 121" carried out assassinations targeting four individuals described as customs officers, a journalist, and a political activist. This action was claimed to be linked to their possession of information indicating Hezbollah's involvement in storing ammonium nitrate at the port.
According to the Israeli account, the victims included Joseph Skaff, the head of customs at Beirut Port, whom the Israeli military claimed was killed in 2017 after he requested the removal of ammonium nitrate shipments from the port. Also killed were Munir Abu Rjeily, head of the anti-smuggling unit at customs, who was said to have been assassinated by stabbing in December 2020 after he provided information related to the explosion file; Joe Bejjani, the photographer who documented initial scenes of the explosion, who was assassinated by shooting in December 2020, according to the Israeli military; and Lokman Slim, the political activist and journalist known for his criticism of Hezbollah, who was killed in February 2021.
The Israeli military added that the assassins took possession of Joe Bejjani's phone after his death, in what it described as an attempt to erase the evidence.
In contrast, Hezbollah has previously denied any connection to these assassinations. The Lebanese judicial investigation has not yet reached conclusive results in any of these cases.
This Israeli accusation comes at a time when the investigation into the Beirut port explosion continues to face political and judicial complications since 2020. The families of the victims continue to demand the full truth and accountability of those responsible.
