Mohammad Raad
Mohammed Raad | |
|---|---|
محمد رعد | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1955 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Political party | Hezbollah |
| Alma mater | Lebanese University |
| Part of a series on |
| Hezbollah |
|---|
Mohammad Raad (Arabic: محمد رعد; born 1 January 1955) is a Lebanese politician of the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militia Hezbollah, who serves as member of parliament representing the Nabatiyeh 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
[edit]Raad was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and is Shia Muslim. His family is originally from the town of Jbaa in southern Lebanon. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the Lebanese University.[2]
Raad's 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.[3] Al Mayadeen reported that at his son's funeral, he thanked those who congratulated him on his son's martyrdom.[4]
Career
[edit]Early years
[edit]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 Nabatiyah) since 1992. He is one of the "ideologues" of the party, a member of its executive committee,[2][5] and former chair of its political council. Raad has been a key political player and has been elected by the Iranian Majlis as Lebanon's only representative on the Iranian Guardian Council. He won a seat from Nabatiyeh in the 2000 general elections.[6] He has been president of the Hezbollah's political wing Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc since 2000.[7]
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."[8]
In 2013 Raad was considered to be one of the potential candidates for general secretary of Hezbollah in the event that Hassan Nasrallah were to become the "supreme guide" of the organization, and the power allocated to the post of general secretary consequentially reduced.[9]
2015–19
[edit]In February 2015, he said that the West was "begging for" a nuclear agreement with Iran.[10]
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.[11]
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.[12][13]
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.[14]
2020–present
[edit]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.[15]
In June 2024, Raad accused some "selfish" Lebanese of caring only about their comfort and relaxation, criticizing them for "going to the beach and nightclubs while the south is under attack," which destroys the nation.[16] 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."[16] 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?”[16]
Also in June 2024, Raad saad that Hezbollah should "invest" in Western university students protesting for Palestine, and use them in order to "enter the heart of Western societies."[17]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "In this photo released by the Lebanese parliament media office". Newshopper Sulekha. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Sayyed Nasrallah re-elected for another term". The Weekly Middle East Reporter. 5 December 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
External links
[edit]- 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.