Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Lebanese cleric and Hezbollah critic mourned after body found

Lebanese cleric and Hezbollah critic mourned after body found

The body of Lebanese cleric Sheikh Ahmed Al-Rifai, a vocal critic of Hezbollah and Iran, was found on Saturday, a week after he went missing in Tripoli.
At 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, a website in the town of Qarqaf in northern Lebanon mourned Al-Rifai’s death.

The religious leader, who was affiliated with Dar Al-Fatwa, hailed from Al-Qarqaf, Akkar, where he was the imam of the mosque.

Lebanese army forces entered the area on Saturday to maintain security and prevent any retaliatory action.

Information circulating in the town said that a suspect arrested in the case provided information on the location of the cleric’s body.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said earlier: “We are currently following up with the competent judicial and security references; New data has emerged and we are following up on it for full disclosure in this case.”

Al-Rifai disappeared on Monday after his car was blocked by two vehicles, according to eye-witnesses. Masked men then forced him to go behind the Beirut Arab University building in Tripoli.

Four days after the incident, security forces found Al-Rifai’s four-wheel drive near Haykel Hospital at the entrance to Koura, south of Tripoli. Kidnappers are believed to have driven the vehicle there and parked it.

The cleric’s phone lost signal minutes after he arrived at Tripoli’s southern entrance. Earlier he had performed evening prayers in a mosque in Beddaoui on the city’s northern side.

Security forces searched the area and confiscated security cameras for analysis.

A security source speculated that Al-Rifai “was lured to the kidnapping site.”

A close friend of the family told Arab News that the cleric opposed Hezbollah and the Syrian regime, and had been active on Twitter, where he spoke out against the “axis of resistance.”

Security agencies, from General Security to State Security and Security Forces, all denied having arrested the cleric.

First Investigative Judge for Northern Lebanon Judge Samaranda Nassar took over the case and began her investigations by inspecting his car in Koura.

A close friend of the family said earlier: “Security agencies raided Qarqaf on Friday night and arrested Yahya Al-Rifai’s sons and cousins, and speculated their involvement in the kidnapping of the cleric, as a result of the political dispute in the family.”

Sheikh Zaid Zakaria, mufti of Akkar, called on Qarqaf’s townspeople to “be impervious to the spreading rumors.”

A source from Dar Al-Fatwa denied the presence of “conclusive evidence about Hezbollah’s direct involvement in the cleric’s disappearance.”

Sheikh Khaldoun Oreimat, who was tasked by Dar Al-Fatwa to follow up on the case, told Arab News that Dar Al-Fatwa had not communicated with Hezbollah to find out whether the party had any involvement, “as it is not its (Dar Al-Fatwa’s) job.”

“That was done by the official security forces that often contact relevant entities that have information, and the security agencies are taking the file in a serious manner.”

Sheikh Zaid Zakaria commended “the role of Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, his wisdom and directives to be prudent and wise, not to be impervious to rumors or make accusations arbitrarily, to prevent a strife.”

He urged that the security investigation be allowed to take its course and said that it is within the context of a normal investigation to summon or arrest a person.

“We must not give an opportunity to those who wish to create division and conflict,” he said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×