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L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Lebanese-Gabonese influencer arrested in Beirut for blackmailing Gabon's president
Gabonese influencer Nazih Marwan al-Azzi, of Lebanese descent, was arrested in early August in Beirut at the request of Gabonese authorities, according to Lebanon's General Security and a source cited by RFI (Radio France Internationale.) The 25-year-old is accused of attempting to blackmail Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema by demanding six billion CFA francs — about ten million dollars. In exchange for not releasing content he described as "compromising" against the president himself and other influential figures in the Gabonese regime, according to several international media outlets and the influencer's posts on Facebook. "The General Security Directorate has arrested Lebanese citizen Nazih Marwan al-Azzi for undermining diplomatic relations between the Lebanese state and the Gabonese state, which compromised the interests of the Lebanese community in Gabon," reads a statement from the institution published on Aug.t 1. This arrest comes after Nazih posted a first audio recording of what he presented as a private conversation between himself and the Gabonese head of state. The leak reportedly alarmed authorities in Libreville, especially since the influencer claims to possess no fewer than 46 other recordings and 14 "sensitive" videos. This blackmail attempt, made public on social media, sparked an outcry in Gabon and neighboring countries. The Lebanese community in Gabon, has been established for several generations, has distanced itself from their young compatriot, calling for respect for Gabon's institutions. "The Lebanese community in Gabon strongly and vigorously condemns the behavior of Nazih, considered a black sheep and a stray, who is damaging social harmony," wrote its president Hassan Mezher Nfoumou in a statement, while also expressing "total deference" toward the Gabonese president. Nazih, who had already been briefly detained and then released by Gabonese security services before leaving Libreville, repeated the act once he arrived in Lebanon by promising new revelations against Nguema. Possible extradition to Lebanon The Gabonese presidency has not yet officially responded to the case. According to RFI, judicial sources in Libreville said that the authorities were preparing to open a criminal investigation upon Nazih's arrival in the country. Although there is no judicial cooperation agreement between Beirut and Libreville, the two countries are reportedly negotiating a compromise for the possible return of Nazih to Gabon, where he could face charges of "organized group corruption, blackmail, and public insults," according to Gabonese media. Contacted by L'Orient Today, General Security did not immediately respond to our inquiries, while the extradition of a Lebanese citizen to a foreign country is prohibited under Lebanese law. The Gabonese-Lebanese, who has tens of thousands of followers on his social media accounts such as TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, made headlines in Gabon after posting videos critical of Gabonese authorities. He sometimes presents himself as an anti-corruption activist, sometimes as a victim of the "mafia regime," according to his own words. "I asked the chief for six billion, and they offered me a monthly income to keep quiet," he said in one of his latest audio files published on Aug. 1, 2025, before his arrest. Political opponents of Nguema, who won by landslide in the last elections in April 2025 two years after leading a military coup against former President Ali Bongo, accuse the young man of being a former collaborator of the Gabonese General Directorate of Special Services (DGSS) before turning against the current government. However, until last July 11, Nazih had been posting messages praising the Gabonese head of state. "The triumphant return of President Oligui: People march for their leader," he wrote on the day of Nguema's return from the United States, where he had met with several other African presidents and Donald Trump at the White House. Photos of his Lebanese passport, indicating he was born in 2000 in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, and of his father, Marwan al-Azzi, are also circulating on Gabonese social media.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Smotrich, who once called starvation 'moral,' backs funding Gaza aid
In a dramatic reversal, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Wednesday that he would back a move to direct millions of shekels from Israel's coffers to providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, despite his previous positions, which included making comments such as starving millions in the Palestinian territory would be "justified and moral." Speaking to the Israeli Kan public broadcaster, Smotrich claimed such funding is 'not money for humanitarian aid, it's money to win the war. Had we controlled the humanitarian aid to Gaza we would have won the war a while ago.' The finance minister said he believed it would be preferable to pull the troops from an Israeli army division from fighting 'and put that money toward supporting the American companies who are managing the humanitarian aid," referring to the highly criticized Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed U.S.-run company that has been distributing aid in Gaza since May, and whose centers have been the site of hundreds of Palestinian aid seeker's deaths by live fire. On Monday, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump discussed plans for Washington to significantly increase its role Gaza aid distribution, Axios reported, citing Israeli and U.S. officials, one of whom said the Trump administration will "take over" aid management, due to Israel's inadequacy. Smotrich, who has previously threatened to quit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition over an Israeli decision to lift a famine-inducing blockade on aid entering the Strip, said the money spent on the American aid effort would be "inseparable from the war effect,' according to the comments cited by Times of Israel. In a video posted Wednesday evening on his X account, Smotrich addressed the topic again, saying, "Hamas can't be defeated with tanks alone." Smotrich argued that Hamas must be strangled economically, and that he wants to include a dedicated budget in case Israel needs to "fund aid for the population instead of continuing to send trucks to Hamas." "A clear decision will be made to conquer all of Gaza," he said, but noted that the war has already cost 300 billion shekels, the equivalent of $87.5 billion, and that "without civil and economic strangulation, there is no chance in the world of winning."
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Electoral law: Ongoing disputes in parliament subcommittee
BEIRUT — A subcommittee of Lebanon's joint parliamentary committees met Wednesday under the chairmanship of Parliament Vice President Elias Bou Saab to review seven proposed electoral laws, just months ahead of the 2026 legislative deadline. The debates, attended by Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Rajji, as well as member MPs, did not result in a vote due to "divergences within the committee," MP Saab explained after the meeting. "We have differences of opinion and I was keen that we should not proceed to a vote (...) These differences relate to whether we should limit the debate to amendments to the current law or examine all the laws proposed by MPs," he added, as quoted by the state-run National News Agency (NNA.) The 2017 electoral law, which has never been fully implemented, restricts the diaspora vote in the 2026 legislative elections to just six seats, as opposed to the 128 seats for which resident Lebanese vote. This is causing controversy. The diaspora vote in fact splits the political class into two camps: on one hand, those who want to confine its voters to the six seats, as specified by the 2017 law. The Aounist Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the allied Hezbollah and Amal parties. Meanwhile, around 68 MPs from the Lebanese Forces (LF,) Kataeb, PSP, the Change Bloc, independents, and others want to amend the law. They aim to make permanent a special change used in the 2018 and 2022 elections, which was based on constituencies of origin. Their proposal, submitted on May 9, calls for the pure and simple elimination of the six-seat clause, to allow the diaspora to vote for all 128 MPs according to their constituency of origin. "There are different points of view, and none of the MPs who submitted proposals is ready to withdraw theirs, with everyone insisting that the proposals be discussed," Saab added. "At the same time, it was suggested that priorities be set and submitted to Parliament so that it can decide on the merits of this proposal, or that all the proposals be brought before the General Assembly if disagreement persists, as long as the discussion proceeds calmly and without tensions," continued the subcommittee chair. This meeting was held as the government, at the subcommittee's request, set up a ministerial committee to study any bill the government would send for presentation to the committee. According to Saab, the 2017 electoral law poses "several problems." "The interior and foreign affairs ministers made observations about the current law, particularly concerning the implementation of provisions related to the election of six diaspora MPs, the magnetic card, and the modalities of expenses," he said. On the issue of the magnetic card, the interior minister indicated it would not be possible to put the smart card system in place by the election date. Together with his foreign affairs counterpart, he also decided to consider, within a technical committee, the issue of the six diaspora MPs. "The committee submitted these observations to the prime minister, who will present them to the Council of Ministers. Once the government has adopted an official position on the matter, it will inform us and we will follow up accordingly," emphasized the subcommittee chair. Commenting on the meeting, LF MP Georges Adwan considered that, given the current disputes, it is no longer possible, just a few months ahead of the vote, to study new proposed laws: "We no longer have the luxury of being able to study new laws given the current differences. A roadmap needs to be established to resolve the six seats issue, while stressing the necessity of a vote by non-residents for all 128 MPs," he noted. "Lebanon needs to thoroughly study every aspect of the system after the weapons issue is resolved, in order to reach a new electoral law different from the previous one," he continued, urging people to "move away from politics of axes and aim for citizenship."
