Argentinian journalist George Chaya, a prominent critic of the Hezbollah leadership, has received a handwritten note warning him that the Iran-backed Shiite terrorist organization might try to kill him.
Chaya is an expert on global terrorism and writes a Spanish-language column for the site Infobae.
The note was based on information from a foreign intelligence agency, which notified the relevant authorities in Argentina of the threat.
“We have information that indicates that you could be target for Hezbollah in Lebanon. We do not have information about any specific place, goal, individuals, or methods,” the note delivered to Chaya read.
In a conversation with Israel Hayom, Chaya said he was well but preferred not to make any media statements at this time.
The prevailing assessment is that either Israel or the US is behind the warning.
Chaya was born in Buenos Aires and his family moved to Lebanon when he was two. He is among the harshest public critics of Hezbollah and its leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, and has frequent attacked the organization’s policies in Lebanon.
Hezbollah has a history of attempted to intimidate journalists. In early 2021, broadcaster Layal Alekhtiar, who worked for the US-backed Alhurra News channel, was targeted by a cyberbullying campaign by pro-Hezbollah viewers that included death threats.
Exiled Lebanese journalist Maria Maalouf, who has also been highly critical of Hezbollah and its leadership, has also faced death threats.
In May 2022, Hezbollah supporters attacked video journalist Hussein Bassal, who was covering the country’s parliamentary elections and documented attempted electoral fraud by Hezbollah operatives.
Lebanese reporter Mariam Seif Eddine is also in exile after crossing Hezbollah by reporting a suspicious death, although her report did not name the group.
Source » israelhayom