Christian Lebanese politician, Elias Hasrouni, was assassinated by the Hezbollah terror group he opposed, the IDF confirmed on Friday.
Known for his staunch criticism of the terror group, Hasrouni worked as the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Forces central council in Bint Jbeil when he was killed in an ambush last year.
The 72-year-old was assassinated by Hezbollah’s Unit 121 in August 2023, according to the IDF, despite the terror group's rumoring that he had perished in a car accident.
Hezbollah's Unit 121
The terror group was said to have ambushed Hasrouni on a road near his home in Ain Ebel in southern Lebanon, where they abducted him. After kidnapping the elderly politician, the IDF claimed the terrorists broke his ribs and poisoned him.
Another member of the Christian Lebanese Forces party was abducted and murdered last year. Pascal Sleiman was kidnapped and killed in the Byblos District of northern Lebanon in April last year. The Lebanese Army announced that they had arrested most of the members of a Syrian gang that they had found were behind Sleiman's kidnapping and murder.
After his death, the IDF claimed the terror group staged his body to look like he had passed from a car accident, ramming his car into a tree and leaving him alone in a ditch.
The same Hezbollah unit has been responsible for the assassinations of prominent journalists, officers, politicians, and other influential figures who have used their platform to condemn the group.
Among the group’s more notable victims is former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. The unit’s commander, Salim Ayyash, was convicted in 2020 by the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon for leading the team that assassinated Hariri.
Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.