Conflicting reports over Hezbollah official’s mysterious death

Was Ali Hatoum still active in the organization until he died? Was he murdered or did he commit suicide?

By World Israel News Staff 

A former Hezbollah official was found dead inside his apartment in the Bourj el-Barajneh area in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Sunday, according to the Lebanese National News Agency (NAA). 

The southern Beirut suburbs are known as a Hezbollah stronghold.

“Security forces arrived immediately at the scene, initiating an investigation to find out the details of the incident, pending the arrival of the forensic doctor who will determine the cause of death,” reported NAA.

Several local Lebanese news outlets identified the former Hezbollah official as Ali Hatoum, according to Al Arabiya, a Saudi television news channel.

There is a growing assessment that he committed suicide, according to the Israeli Ynet news site.

Hatoum reportedly was active in a non-Shiite militia, which included Muslims, Druze and Christian fighters.

Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth reports that Hezbollah is purposely being vague in its statements to the media about the circumstances of his death. Different sources contradicted one another over whether he was active with Hezbollah “until his death” or left the terror organization and became involved in business, says Yedioth.

The reported deteriorating state of his body would indicate that a prolonged period of time passed between his death and discovery of his body.

Another contradiction over his fate is that despite the assessment that he took his own life, there is growing suspicion that he could have been surprised in his apartment by a gunman who shot and killed him.