[Jpost] Lokman went missing yesterday, and he was found shot dead in his car in southern Lebanon.Lokman Slim was a critic of Hezbollah who spoke out against the terrorist group’s role in Lebanon. He had received death threats for years in an attempt to silence him. He was murdered in southern Lebanon overnight and his body found Thursday.
He is one of many critics of Iran and Iranian-backed groups like Hezbollah who have been targeted in the region. In July Hisham al-Hashimi, an intellectual and commentator who also critiqued Iranian-backed militias, was murdered in Baghdad.
Lokman went missing yesterday, and he was found shot dead in his car in southern Lebanon. He was a publisher, intellectual and activist, friends noted. Many blamed Hezbollah and pointed out he was a critic of the terror group. It fits a pattern of assassination of critics of Hezbollah. His home and family had been threatened in the past, recently in 2019.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s son Jawad Nasrallah appeared to tweet in favor of the murder, claiming "losing some people is actually a win," in a now-deleted tweet. Slim’s sister, Rasha, said that her brother was a humble man who was loved by local people. She also said that his opponents had lost a noble person who had been willing to discuss and spar with them smartly and comfortably.
Around the world, people mourned Lokman, especially in Lebanon and among the Lebanese diaspora and others who have spent time in the country. People were shocked at the assassination. People who sympathize with Iran and Hezbollah pretended to care as well — the usual feigning of outpouring by those who excuse Iran’s behavior and the mafia-like terrorist behavior of Hezbollah but then are shocked by the brutal reality.