Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, one of Hezbollah's most outspoken opponents in the Beirut government, has stopped going to his office and has recently been working from home following security warnings and threats, the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar reported on Sunday.
Sources close to the minister said there were concerns that someone could try to harm him because of his strong opposition to Hezbollah and his calls for the organization to be disarmed.
Rajji has already informed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and security officials of the situation, the report said.
Rajji avoids exposed sites
About two months ago, amid heightened security tensions in Beirut and concerns over possible infiltration of government buildings, Rajji was advised not to go to the Foreign Ministry, sources close to him said. The ministry building is considered relatively exposed and has only a limited number of access routes, making it easier to monitor the minister's movements or attempt to harm him, they added.
Since then, Rajji has continued running the Foreign Ministry from his home and has maintained his diplomatic activities, according to An-Nahar. He has also requested increased security protection.
A day before the report was published, Rajji confirmed that he had stopped going to the ministry because of "security warnings" he had received. He did not specify where the warnings came from or who might be behind them.
The report prompted criticism from Hezbollah opponents in Lebanon. Former Lebanese parliament member Wehbe Katicha, who is affiliated with the Lebanese Forces party, blamed Hezbollah for creating an atmosphere of intimidation.
"Hezbollah is responsible for everything; it threatens and issues warnings, and no one dares put it on trial," he said.
The report, however, presented no evidence that Hezbollah itself had sent the threats to Rajji.
Rajji takes hard line against Hezbollah
Rajji has taken an especially hard line against Hezbollah in recent months. He has described the organization as an armed and illegal Iranian proxy, demanded that it surrender its weapons to the state, and argued that its arsenal has not protected Lebanon but instead dragged the country into confrontations.
In July, he said that "Hezbollah is Iranian in its orientation and not Lebanese in its identity."
The security concerns surrounding Rajji come amid a broader struggle in Lebanon over Hezbollah's weapons. The government adopted measures this year aimed at establishing the state's monopoly over arms and, in March, ordered an end to Hezbollah's military and security activities and the transfer of its weapons to the state.
Subsequently, Rajji has emerged as one of the government's most prominent voices opposing Hezbollah's continued possession of weapons.