Hezbollah critic Husseini claims arson attack on his home

Shiite cleric Mohammad Ali Husseini, a vocal critic of Hezbollah, has accused the party of setting fire to his house in Lebanon. 

“We thank Hezbollah’s leadership for their remarkable culture, moral values, and civilized behavior in burning down our second house in our village,” he stated sarcastically on his social media account on X (formerly Twitter). His post included images of a burned house.

Husseini did not specify the village where the incident occurred. However, his biography states that he was born in Ghobeiri, a southern suburb of Beirut. According to Sarah Abdallah, a correspondent in the Bekaa Valley, the house in question is located in Chmestar, near Baalbeck.

Husseini rose to prominence during the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel through his frequent appearances on the pan-Arab channel al-Arabiya, where he consistently criticized Hezbollah. On September 27, 2006, he predicted the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, days before an attempt on Nasrallah’s life.

Currently the Secretary-General of the Islamic Council in Lebanon, Husseini was once a founding member of Hezbollah. However, he later fell out with the party’s leadership and faced imprisonment in Lebanon on charges of “collaborating with the enemy,” an accusation he has consistently denied.

Husseini now resides in Saudi Arabia, which has granted him citizenship. His outspoken criticism of Hezbollah has made him a polarizing figure, earning him both supporters and numerous adversaries in Lebanon.

On November 30, Lebanese judicial sources confirmed that Prosecutor General Jamal Hajjar issued a search warrant against Husseini. The warrant follows multiple complaints filed by lawyers accusing him of “collaborating with the Israeli enemy” and “incitement to murder.”

The recent arson attack adds another chapter to the cleric’s fraught relationship with Hezbollah. Whether it was a targeted act by the party or another faction exploiting the tensions, the incident highlights the volatility of political rivalries in Lebanon, particularly within the Shiite community.