War correspondent Paul Ronzheimer arrested in Beirut following Nasrallah's death

Deputy editor-in-chief and war correspondent of Bild, Paul Ronzheimer, was arrested in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, the day after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Nasrallah.

 War refugees in Beirut: BILD vice-president Paul Ronzheimer met in the Lebanese capital those people who fled the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon (photo credit: GIORGOS MOUTAFIS)
War refugees in Beirut: BILD vice-president Paul Ronzheimer met in the Lebanese capital those people who fled the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
(photo credit: GIORGOS MOUTAFIS)

Paul Ronzheimer, deputy editor-in-chief and war correspondent for the German newspaper Bild, was arrested in Beirut on September 28, the day after Israel eliminated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the publication said on Wednesday.

Nasrallah led the terrorist organization in Lebanon for 32 years and was killed in an Israeli airstrike along with other Hezbollah commanders. The attack involved a decade of intelligence collected both by the IDF and the Mossad, as well as a variety of last-minute deceptions to ensure that Nasrallah would not flee the area, the Jerusalem Post reported last month.

 Kashmiri Shia Muslims protest the killing of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, on the outskirts of Srinagar September 29, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/SHARAFAT ALI)
Kashmiri Shia Muslims protest the killing of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, on the outskirts of Srinagar September 29, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/SHARAFAT ALI)

Ronzheimer's arrest and release

Following the arrest, Ronzheimer and his team were reportedly taken from their hotel room, restrained and blindfolded by Lebanese military intelligence agents, and interrogated in an unknown location.

Ronzheimer was released late in the evening following the cooperation of Lebanese authorities and the German embassy in Beirut.