Lebanese television reporter Maria Maalouf took to Twitter on Saturday night to urge Israel to make good on past threats and take out Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
In two different tweets Maalouf published on her official Twitter handle late Saturday night, the reporter turned to the State of Israel and said that if the latter really wanted to see peace in the region, it ought to arrive at some sort of agreement with the Shi’ite terror organization.
“If Israel really wants peace, then it should prove it and sign on agreements with Hezbollah. Because, to this day we have not gotten rid of Hassan Nasrallah, who is deluding us in his fight against Israel,” Maalouf wrote in her first tweet.
Shortly after, Maalouf tweeted again, this time taunting Israel and claiming that it could not really deter its enemies if it didn’t take more extreme measures.
“If Israel sees Hassan Nasrallah as its enemy, why doesn’t it carry out an air strike that would rid us of him, thus gaining our faith and protecting itself?”
This second quote gained a lot of traction, triggering a heated debate among the reporter’s 222,000 Twitter followers. Many lashed at Maalouf, who is known for her avid stand against the Syrian regime, while others reacted by saying that her suggestions couldn’t possibly happen because “Israel and Hezbollah are on the same side,” alluding to radical conspiracy theories claiming that Israel and Hezbollah are actually in contact and seeking collaboration behind the scenes.
It appears that the timing of Maalouf’s comments was a contributing factor in the sensation they sparked.
In recent months many voices across the Lebanese political map have been raising a similar concern that Hezbollah could potentially cause a crisis in Lebanon due to its ongoing involvement in the Syrian Civil War alongside the Assad regime.
This is not the first time Maalouf has made controversial statements, nor is it the first that she comes under the harsh fire of the critics. Last week the son of Syria’s envoy to Jordan threatened to kill Maalouf, writing on his personal Facebook page that “we have the hanging rope ready for you” and making further threats on her life.
In response, Maalouf called for Lebanese authorities to try the ambassador’s son.
Maalouf is considered one of the main central figures in the Lebanese media to actively speak out against Iran, Hezbollah’s militias and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Often drawing the ire of critics and television viewers, she is known for raising provocative questions and reporting sensitive stories regarding corruption among the Lebanese political elite.
A Lebanese TV news anchor drew the ire of the Hezbollah terrorist organization over the weekend, after she tweeted that Israel ought to carry out a targeted assassination of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Maria Maalouf, who has a history of antagonizing the Shi’ite terror group, wrote a pair of tweets on Saturday, lamenting Nasrallah’s continued presence in her home country.
“If Israel really wants peace,” she wrote, “then it should prove it and sign an agreement with Hezbollah. Because to this day we haven’t gotten rid of Hassan Nasrallah, who is deluding us with his fight against Israel.”
But, added, Maalouf, if Israel is serious about protecting itself, it should eliminate the Hezbollah leader once and for all.
“If Israel sees Hassan Nasrallah as an enmy, why doesn’t [Israel] bomb him and rid us of him and gain our faith, all while protecting itself?”
With some 220,000 Twitter followers, Maalouf is one of a prominent – and vocal – opponent of foreign interference in Lebanon, particularly by Hezbollah and its allies, Syria and Iran.
The feeling, it seems, is mutual, as last week the Syrian Ambassador to Jordan’s son wrote on Facebook that his country was ready to execute Maalouf.
“You will soon pay the price for your barking,” wrote Khaydera Bahjat Suleiman. “Revenge is a dish best served cold. We’ve already preparing the rope to hang you, and the garbage bin is ready.”
In 2015, Maalouf expressed her desire to personally assassinate Nasrallah, condemning him as an Iranian agent in Lebanon.
“I wish I had the courage to blow myself up around Hassan Nasrallah so as to avenge Lebanon’s martyrs killed by the Iranian party [Hezbollah].”