'Attempted murder': Journalist blames Hezbollah for 9 bullets fired at their car

L'Orient-Le Jour

07-05-2025

Lebanese journalist Nancy Lakkis said she was the "target of an assassination attempt" early Tuesday morning when nine bullets were fired at her parked car at 3:00 a.m. in Haret Saida, southern Lebanon. The attackers apparently believed she was inside the vehicle at the time, according to Lakkis, who was not injured by the attack.
In an interview with Lebanon and the World news website, Lakkis confirmed, 'I was not in the car during the attack.' She "accused Hezbollah of orchestrating the operation, given her well-known critical stance toward the group's activities and policies," according to the media citing her.
Lakkis was not immediately available to comment on the incident.
Lakkis also thanked on X Tuesday, "the Army Commander and Military Intelligence for their unwavering support. To this day, intelligence officers remain stationed near my home. This is no simple case ... it's an attempted murder. Investigations are ongoing, and for the first time, I truly feel that this country has a state that can stand up for the oppressed."
'Nine bullets with his Kalashnikov'
She also addressed the attacker directly in her comments.
"As for the one who fired nine bullets with his Kalashnikov, thinking he was silencing me, he was actually trying to silence his fear of my voice, nothing more," Lakkis stated.
Lakkis routinely criticizes Hezbollah's actions and calls for its disarmament. She was outspoken against the party's opening of a "support front" for Gaza from southern Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after the start of the war with Israel.
Since a cease-fire began between Hezbollah and Israel on Nov.27, Hezbollah has refrained from attacking Israel except for one instance, despite almost daily Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, and three airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Lakkis 'frustrated with judiciary'
On X, Lakkis posted a detailed series of allegations, expressing "frustration" with what she described as "collusion within the judiciary and lack of institutional protection."
'When the public prosecutor becomes an adversary, and justice becomes an arena of influence, there is no longer any security,' she wrote, without naming the judge she was criticizing.
'The public prosecutor changed the forensic report from a felony to a misdemeanor in favor of the duo's group. I had previously filed a complaint against him, and he is still going too far,' she added, without providing proof of her claims.
'Today, despite my clear suspicion of a certain person, he (the judge) did not order their arrest... because they are considered affiliated with the Shiite duo [Amal Movement and Hezbollah.] But the intelligence services have a duty to act, even in the absence of tangible evidence. We can no longer say negligence ... in blatant collusion. And you still say that there is no political interference in the judiciary?'
On Wednesday, Lakkis also posted a photo of her and Information Minister Paul Morcos and thanked him for reaching out to her after the incident.
'I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude ... to the Minister of Information ... for his kind call and checking on my condition following the recent incident,' she wrote.
In November 2024, Lakkis had also claimed that surveillance cameras were reportedly removed from both her home and office and alleged that Hezbollah was behind the attack. She also claimed, at the time, that her office in Haret Saida was set on fire.
Criticism of Hezbollah, particularly from members of Lebanon's Shiite community, have often been met with backlash, threats and intimidation from the party.
Lokman Slim, a Lebanese Shiite activist and outspoken critic of Hezbollah, was assassinated on Feb. 4, 2021. His body was discovered in his car near the village of Addoussieh in southern Lebanon. He had been shot multiple times in the head and back.
12 days prior to his death, on Jan. 23, 2021, Slim had publicly expressed concerns for his safety. He stated that he held then-Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri responsible for any harm that might come to him or his family. This statement was made in response to escalating threats and harassment he was receiving, including death threats and hate messages from Hezbollah supporters.
Slim's assassination has been widely attributed to Hezbollah or its allies, though the group denied involvement and the investigation has yet to provide conclusions.