Lebanese military judges have sentenced two expatriate activists, Ahmad Yassine and Joumana Gebara, to 15 years in prison in absentia for allegedly inciting Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets. The trial began in November 2024 and focused on accusations of collaboration with Israel and public praise for IDF actions. Yassine, a Paris‑based analyst, says he should be tried in civilian courts and has warned of potential retaliation by Hezbollah. The verdict highlights tensions over enforcement of a March ban on armed non‑state actors and questions about military courts trying civilians.
Lebanese Military Court Sentences Two Exiled Activists to 15 Years Over Alleged Incitement of IDF Strikes
Protesters raise Hezbollah and Iranian flags, after the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Israeli and US strikes on Iran, during a rally in solidarity with the Iranian regime, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 1, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)
A Lebanese military court has sentenced two anti‑Hezbollah activists in absentia to 15 years in prison after finding they allegedly encouraged Israeli military action against Hezbollah positions, court sources and one defendant told Agence France‑Presse.
Who Was Convicted
The sentenced individuals are Ahmad Yassine and Joumana Gebara, both Lebanese nationals living abroad. Their trial began in November 2024 and the court concluded they "collaborated with Israel and incited it to continue its military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon," according to reporting and court comments.
Allegations
Prosecutors say Yassine, a Paris‑based professor and popular YouTuber, circulated claims that the historic Baalbek citadel housed Hezbollah weapons depots and thereby urged the Israeli army to strike the site. Gebara was accused of publicly praising IDF Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee, thanking him for strikes on Hezbollah targets and calling for normalization with Israel.
Israeli soldiers are seen along the Israeli border with Lebanon amid the ongoing war, April 10, 2026. (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)
Yassine: "I’m a civilian. Why am I being tried before a military court? I’m a political analyst and a Lebanese writer living in France… All I do is present political and social analysis on my own channel and on other television channels."
Yassine (on personal risk): "I expect they may kill me at any moment. I expect that one day I’ll be driving down the road and they’ll block my way. I know that’s what they’re capable of… I understand oppression coming from Hezbollah but not from a Lebanese court… unless this is an Iranian court."
Legal and Political Context
Lebanon enacted a ban in March prohibiting non‑state actors, including Hezbollah, from bearing arms. Implementation has been uneven: military tribunals have mostly handed down relatively light penalties so far, and local media reported in April that prisoners jailed for violating the ban were released after two Hezbollah members were freed on bail set at 100 million Lebanese pounds each.
Observers note a tension between the state’s stated policy to curb armed non‑state actors and the political realities on the ground, where Hezbollah retains significant military and political influence. Some media accounts have sought to link recent escalations to broader regional incidents; specific claims tying the current developments to the death of Iran’s supreme leader are inaccurate and unverified.
Reaction and Next Steps
Yassine criticized the use of a military tribunal to try a civilian living abroad and warned of personal danger. According to reporting, neither defendant was in Lebanon to face the sentence. Yassine has not responded to The Jerusalem Post’s request for comment.
The case underscores divisions inside Lebanon over Hezbollah’s armed role and raises questions about judicial independence, the reach of military courts, and the treatment of critics who reside overseas.
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