Ragheb Harb راغب حرب | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | 1952 Jibchit, Lebanon |
Died | 16 February 1984 Jibchit, Lebanon | (aged 31–32)
Manner of death | Assassination |
Political party | Amal Movement |
Profession | |
Ragheb Harb (Arabic: راغب حرب; 1952–1984) was a Lebanese Shia Muslim cleric and politician.[1] He was an imam and militant who led the Shiite resistance against Israeli occupation of Lebanon.[2] In March 1983, he was detained by the Israel Defense Forces, but following wide spread demonstrations throughout southern Lebanon he was released seventeen days later. On 16 February 1984, he was assassinated.[3] Hussein Abbas, one of the assassins, fled to America where he lived in the home of his uncle, the academic Professor Fouad Ajami.[4]
Danny Abdallah, a Lebanese criminal living in Denmark, admitted to having killed Harb on behalf of the Israelis, and also claimed to have participated in the kidnapping of Harb's successor, Abdul Karim Obeyd.[5][failed verification][6][dead link ] As a result, Hezbollah put him on their death list, and he is wanted in Lebanon.[7] According to one source, Harb's supporters would go on to form the Lebanese paramilitary and political organization Hezbollah. He belonged to the first Shiite party in Lebanon, the "Amal Movement".[2]