Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel filed a legal complaint against Hezbollah official Faysal Shakar, accusing him of inciting violence, issuing death threats, and endangering national unity and state sovereignty.

The complaint, submitted to Lebanon’s Court of Cassation’s Public Prosecution by Gemayel’s legal representative, attorney Bashir Mourad, targets Shakar, Hezbollah’s deputy chief for the Bekaa region, and calls for the prosecution of anyone found by the investigation to be a perpetrator, accomplice, or instigator.

At the heart of the complaint is a speech delivered by Shakar on July 6, 2025, during Hezbollah’s central Ashura procession in the Bekaa Valley. In the address, Shakar launched a direct verbal assault against Lebanese voices demanding Hezbollah’s disarmament, warning:

“To those inside [Lebanon] who repeat the words ‘disarmament,’ we say a few words: We'll rip out your souls!”

He concluded with a message directed at opponents and foreign powers:

“To your Zionist allies, to your American allies, to some of your Arab rulers: tell the Zionists to leave Palestine, then we might consider handing over our weapons.”

Gemayel's legal filing contends that the speech contains an explicit threat to kill anyone who supports state control over all weapons in Lebanon. It also accuses Shakar of inflaming sectarian tensions and making statements that could lead to civil unrest.

The complaint includes a video of the speech as evidence, as well as a detailed reference to several articles of the Lebanese Penal Code, including Articles 574, 575 (criminal threats), 317 (sectarian incitement), 308 (civil war provocation), 329 (coercion), and 217–218 (criminal instigation).

It states that Shakar’s rhetoric went far beyond protected political speech and constituted a “direct call for violence” and an attempt to “justify the continued possession of illegal weapons through fear and intimidation.”

The complaint further claims that Shakar’s speech amounts to “a call for civil war and renewed armament,” in violation of Lebanon’s fragile peace and legal frameworks.

The complaint warns that labeling Lebanese political opponents as “Zionist allies” or “traitors” amounts to targeting them for violence and delegitimizing their citizenship. It calls on the judiciary to take swift and serious action given the “deliberate timing” of Shokr’s comments and their potential to destabilize public order.

It concludes by asking prosecutors to open an investigation, arrest the accused, and refer him to the competent criminal court for trial, calling for the harshest penalties allowed under Lebanese law.

Speaking to Voice of Lebanon radio, attorney Bashir Mourad emphasized the gravity of the case, saying it is now “a test of the judiciary’s role in protecting Lebanese citizens and standing as a barrier against violence and incitement.”

He stressed that the Kataeb Party has full confidence in the legal process and would pursue the case until those responsible for stoking sectarian tensions are held accountable.