Report: List of Hizbullah Opponents under 'Threat’ Circulates on Social Media

Threats to Hizbullah adversaries in Lebanon have reportedly escalated since the assassination of the writer and political activist Lokman Slim last week, the Saudi Asharq el-Awsat reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday, a list of names and photos of a number of Hizbullah opponents allegedly at risk, has circulated on social media

Meanwhile, Hizbullah-owned TV network al-Manar TV made a high-pitched criticism of its opponents during its prime time news bulletin.

Several figures mentioned in the list refused to comment on this campaign, saying the current phase is very critical in Lebanon and that the party standing behind it is “known to all,” according to the daily.

Anti-Hizbullah journalist Ali al-Amin, among the names listed, said it is part of an “escalating campaign targeting opponents of the authority and who administers it.”

He told Asharq el-Awsat that Lebanon has “entered a new security phase since the assassination of Slim,” voicing distrust in the security agencies’ ability of making any difference.

“Security agencies are supposed to take this campaign seriously and do the necessary, but unfortunately we no longer have confidence and we expect more threats and campaigns of distortion, intimidation and threat through electronic armies,” he told the daily.

The campaign escalated on social media accompanied by video recordings and positions of ant-Hizbullah journalists, university professors and political activists accusing Hizbullah of the assassination.

Slim, a prominent Lebanese activist and intellectual known for his opposition to Hizbullah was found shot dead in his car in the country's south last Thursday.

It drew immediate condemnation from abroad and tributes from his many friends.

Slim, 58, had long been a leading secular voice in the Shiite community and was routinely criticized, and often threatened, over his anti-Hizbullah stance.

Lebanese social media erupted over the murder, as people commented on the latest in a long line of Lebanon's political killings.