Mohammad Raad | |
|---|---|
محمد رعد | |
 Raad in 2017 | |
| Leader of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc | |
| Assumed office 2000 | |
| Member of the Parliament of Lebanon | |
| Assumed office 1992 | |
| Constituency | Nabatieh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 August 1955 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Party | Hezbollah |
| Spouse | Fatima Barghul |
| Alma mater | Lebanese University |
| Part of a series on |
| Hezbollah |
|---|
Mohammad Raad (Arabic: محمد رعد; born 22 August 1955) is a Lebanese politician of the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militia Hezbollah, who serves as member of parliament representing the Nabatieh District. He leads Hezbollah's political wing called Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc in the Lebanese parliament, which was part of the 8 March Alliance.[1] In 2019, he was sanctioned by the United States, pursuant to an order that targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.
Early life and education
Raad was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and is Shia Muslim.[2] His family is originally from the town of Jbaa in southern Lebanon. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the Lebanese University.[3]
Career
Early years
Raad is one of the leading figures of the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militia Hezbollah, and is the only member of the party to occupy his seat in Parliament (representing Natabieh) since 1992. He is one of the "ideologues" of the party, a member of its executive committee,[3][4] and former chair of its political council. Raad was elected by the Iranian Majlis as Lebanon's only representative on the Iranian Guardian Council. He won a seat from Nabatieh in the 2000 general elections.[5] He has been president of the Hezbollah's political wing Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc since 2000.[6]
In 2001, he said: "Hezbollah is a military resistance party, and it is our task to fight the occupation of our land... There is no separation between politics and resistance."[7]
In 2013, Raad was considered a potential candidate for Secretary-General of Hezbollah in the event that Hassan Nasrallah became the "supreme guide" of the organization, and the power allocated to the post of general secretary was reduced.[8]
2015–19
In February 2015, he said that the West was "begging for" a nuclear agreement with Iran.[9]
In January 2019, Raad condemned the “intervention” of the United States in Venezuela during the 2019 Venezuelan Presidential crisis, and confirmed Hezbollah’s support for Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.[10]
In July 2019, he was sanctioned by the United States, pursuant to an order that targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.[11][12]
In October 2019, demonstrators attacked the office of Raad, as they protested against government corruption and incompetence, and the risk of a Lebanese economic crisis.[13]
2020–present
In March 2024, Raad met with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the following month he announced that Hezbollah would open a representative office in Moscow.[14]
In June 2024, Raad criticized people for "going to the beach and nightclubs while the south is under attack."[15] Journalist and MTV Lebanon TV host Dima Sadek wrote sarcastically on social media: "The weather is nice today. I am thinking of destroying the country while at the beach."[15] MP Pierre Bou Assi responded to Raad: "All of Lebanon is collapsing due to your policies and your illusory and destructive divine victories. Have you strengthened any economic or social resilience in Lebanon? Do you think your Iranian rockets will feed the people?”[15]
Also in June 2024, Raad said that Hezbollah should "invest" in Western university students protesting for Palestine, and use them in order to "enter the heart of Western societies."[16]
On 2 March 2026, Raad was said to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut in retaliation to Hezbollah firing rockets at Northern Israel during the 2026 Iran conflict.[17][18] In the evening of that same day, Raad would make a statement proving that he is still alive.[19][20]
Personal life
Raad is married to Fatima al-Burghul and they have 5 children. His son Abbas, a member of Hezbollah's special operations forces Radwan Force unit, was killed during fighting with Israel following the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel.[21][22][23]
See also
References
- ^ "In this photo released by the Lebanese parliament media office". Newshopper Sulekha. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Arab Decision". www.arabdecision.org. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Sayyed Nasrallah re-elected for another term". The Weekly Middle East Reporter. 5 December 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ Hamzeh, A. Nizar (1993). "Lebanon's Hizbullah: From Islamic Revolution to Parliamentary Accommodation". Third World Quarterly. 14 (2): 321–337. doi:10.1080/01436599308420327. JSTOR 3992570.
- ^ "Murr Releases Official Results of Lebanon's Second Round of Elections". Albawaba. 5 September 2000. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ fr:Bloc de la fidélité à la Résistance
- ^ "Urging the European Union to add Hezbollah to the European Union's wide-ranging list of terrorist organizations," 109th US Congress, 1st Session, H. RES. 101, February 15, 2005.
- ^ "Hezbollah Again Postpones General Congress". Al Monitor. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ "Raad: West "begging" for nuclear agreement with Iran," MTV.
- ^ "Experts see Israel’s support for Venezuela’s Guaidó as a ‘win-win’," JNS.
- ^ "The Symbolism behind the Latest U.S. Sanctions against Hezbollah," Lobe Log.
- ^ "US sanctions Hezbollah MPs over Iran support," The Arab Weekly.
- ^ "Demonstrations in Lebanon are 'a moment of truth for Hezbollah'," France 24.
- ^ "Russia and Lebanon Relations Advance," London Politica.
- ^ a b c "Raad criticizes Lebanese 'going to the beach and nightclub as the South is under attack', causing a stir; In response to Raad, journalist Dima Sadek wrote sarcastically, "The weather is nice today. I am thinking of destroying the country while at the beach," L'Orient Today, 26 June 2024
- ^ "Hizbullah Official Mohammad Raad: We Should Invest In The Pro-Palestine Student Protesters In Western Universities In Order To Enter The Heart Of Western Societies," Memri.
- ^ "Head of Hezbollah parliamentary bloc said killed in IDF strike on Beirut". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Israeli strike on Lebanon kills Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc head". Al-Arabiya. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "النائب محمد رعد تعليقاً على تصريح الرئيس نواف سلام: لا نرى موجباً أن يتخذ الرئيس سلام وحكومته قرارات عنترية ضد اللبنانيين". aljadeed (in Arabic). Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Lebanon plunged back into war as Israel targets Iran-backed Hizbollah". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ Dabouch, Sarah (15 February 2024). "What is the Radwan Force, Hezbollah's elite unit on the Israeli border?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Iran Parliament speaker expresses condolences on martyrdom of Abbas Raad," Tehran Times.
- ^ "Mohammad Raad | Hezbollah". hezbollah.org. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
External links
- Diana Moukalled (20 January 2016). "Hezbollah hastens to defend the indefensible; Hezbollah’s response has been as strange as the court’s decision to release Michel Samaha," Alarabiya News.
- Makram Rabah (June 28, 2024). "The Foolishness of Loving Life", Now Lebanon.
