Hannibal Gaddafi Suffers Health, Psychological Setback, Refuses to See Doctors

Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)
Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)
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Hannibal Gaddafi Suffers Health, Psychological Setback, Refuses to See Doctors

Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)
Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)

An official Lebanese source revealed that Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, “is going through a very difficult health and psychological condition,” as he awaits his prosecution seven years after his detention under an arrest warrant in Lebanon.

The Lebanese judiciary accuses the son of Muammar Gaddafi of “withholding information related to the fate of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions, Sheikh Muhammad Yaqoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine,” who went missing during a visit to the Libyan capital in 1978.

The official source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hannibal “suffers from difficult health symptoms,” adding that his condition has further deteriorated in recent weeks.

“He refuses to talk to anyone or to be examined by doctors,” according to the source.

Gaddafi’s attorney, Ghassan al-Mawla, refused to give details on his client’s situation, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that he was “committed to the instructions of the Bar Association, which prevent lawyers from making media statements.”

Hannibal Gaddafi’s judicial case has seen no progress in seven years, due to the Libyan authorities’ reluctance to cooperate with Judge Zaher Hamadeh, who is in charge of the matter.

An informed judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the judicial investigator has “sent several memos to notify 13 Libyan individuals of their suspicious involvement in the case, including officers and key cadres in the Muammar Gaddafi regime.”

But Libyan authorities deliberately ignored the Lebanese requests, the source underlined.

The source stressed that Hannibal was arrested according to the law and without any injustice, adding that legal measures were taken against him for concealing information about the kidnapping and disappearance of Imam al-Sadr and his two companions and his suspicious involvement in the case.



Lebanon Says Israeli Airstrike Hits Target in East

This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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Lebanon Says Israeli Airstrike Hits Target in East

This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

Lebanon's state media said an Israeli airstrike targeted the Baalbek region in the east of the country on Wednesday, branding it a "violation" of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The truce went into effect on November 27 after more than a year of hostilities that began with the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip.

Both sides have since accused the other of breaching the ceasefire.

Wednesday's strike near the town of Tarya did not result in casualties, the state-run National News Agency said, calling the attack the "first violation of the ceasefire agreement" in the Baalbek area, AFP reported.

A Lebanese security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike targeted "warehouses believed to belong to Hezbollah".

Hezbollah has for decades held sway in south Beirut, and the south and east of the country.

The war with Israel saw Hezbollah massively weakened but not crushed.

A committee made up of the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and United Nations peacekeepers is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire and ensuring violations are identified and dealt with.

Lebanon has asked the parties -- particularly the United States and France -- to press Israel to speed up its withdrawal from the country's south under the terms of the deal.

As part of the truce, the Lebanese army and peacekeepers will deploy in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army pulls out over a period of 60 days, which are due to expire in January 2025.

The Israeli army said on Monday that it was continuing its "defensive activities" in the south "in accordance with the agreement".

It has yet to issue a statement on the reported strike in eastern Lebanon.