Efforts underway in Lebanon to issue arrest warrant for Hezbollah leader

Efforts are underway in Lebanon to obtain an arrest warrant in absentia for Naim Qassem, the secretary-general of the Lebanese movement Hezbollah, according to a report by the Lebanese television channel MTV Lebanon.

The broadcaster said that work on the initiative is being conducted in coordination with official state institutions and judicial authorities.

According to the report, a delegation representing the Sovereign Front for Lebanon is expected in the coming hours to hold meetings with the country’s president, the prime minister and representatives of the judiciary as part of the effort.

Sources also said that a formal complaint has already been submitted to the office of the prosecutor general at Lebanon's Court of Cassation.

The complaint was filed by members of parliament Ashraf Rifi, Elias Khoury and Kamil Chamoun, along with former lawmaker Eddy Abi Al‑Lama and lawyer Elie Mahfoud.

According to the sources cited in the report, the applicants plan to press authorities to accelerate consideration of the complaint. They are also prepared to submit additional petitions if necessary in order to secure the issuance of an arrest warrant for Qassem.

By Tamilla Hasanova