Lebanese academic and political analyst Makram Rabah was detained by Lebanese security forces for five hours for criticizing Hezbollah's presence in the Baalbek region, according to a report by the Saudi-based English newspaper Arab News on Monday.
Rabah recently appeared in an interview on Lebanese television in which he criticized Hezbollah for using the Baalbek region for their operations, which puts civilians in danger.
Rabah said, "Israel does not view the city of Baalbek as a 'Lebanese city: it is part of Hezbollah's supply lines that may affect it in its next war."
"We, as Lebanese, will not be spared from a major Israeli strike because Hezbollah is the one that provoked Israel," he added.
He also stated that, in his view, Hezbollah was not ready to fight a war against Israel.
"Our country is incapable of fighting a war, which is in dire need of a better economic situation. The Israelis are in a constant state of monitoring and attacking military targets whenever they want, and Hezbollah can only use its drones to film weddings," he said.
According to the report, he also criticized the terrorist organization for conducting secret meetings in the Lebanese capital with representatives of Hamas, the Houthis, and IRGC chief commander Esmail Qaani without Lebanese state and security officials being aware of them.
Makram Rabah posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, announcing that he was summoned before the General Security Investigation Department for "distraction and resistance."
تم تبليغي بالأمس ضرورة الحضور إلى دائرة التحقيق الأمني في الامن العام.....يمكن حابيين يعرفوا مني عن اجتماع محور المشاغلة "و المقاومة" يلي صار ببيروت الاسبوع الماضي#صفر_حوف pic.twitter.com/3p2kZJOrOQ
— makram rabah (@makramrabah) March 17, 2024
His interrogation was allegedly due to "providing information in the interview regarding Hezbollah locations, which were considered coordinates for the enemy." Rabah replied to this claim, saying that no information he had discussed had been published in local and foreign media.
Military Court judge detained Rabah for refusing to comply, provide his cell phone
According to the report, Military Court Investigative Judge Fadi Akiki decided to have Rabah detained for refusing to hand over his cell phone. The report also stated that he was aware that Rabah did not have the phone in his possession, and this was simply an excuse to detain him.
After a few hours, Rabah was released but was still considered "under investigation."
After his release, Rabah said: "If I were a Captagon [usually called the Jihadi drug] dealer like Hezbollah, Investigative Judge Fadi Akiki would not have dared to detain me. The Lebanese constitution preserves my right to express my opinion."