Who is Dr. Hussein Atwi, the Lebanese University instructor killed by Israel?

Sheikh Dr. Hussein Ezzat Atwi, a senior leader of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya and a prominent figure in the Fajr Forces military wing, was assassinated by an Israeli drone strike on Tuesday morning in, near Baaouerta in the Aley district of Mount Lebanon, less than 20 kilometers south of Beirut while en route to the Lebanese University, where he served as a professor in the Faculty of Arts.

Born in 1968 in the southern village of Al-Habariyeh (Hasbaya District). His mother was killed by an Israeli shell in 1977 when he was just nine years old.

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He obtained both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Islamic Studies from the College of Islamic Da’wah in Beirut, where he later worked as an administrator and teacher.

His academic career extended to leadership roles; he served as the head of the World Council for the Arabic Language and the Imam Al-Ghazali Center for Sufi Studies.

Atwi was also involved in various Islamic scholarly circles and was “known for his moderate views, as well as his efforts to maintain a non-sectarian approach to Islamic thought,” a local from his village explained to L’Orient Today.

He also held a significant role in the Union of Muslim Scholars, fostering strong ties within various Islamic communities in Lebanon.

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He served as a professor, imam, and a director of several institutions focused on Islamic studies, including the World Council for the Arabic Language and the Imam Al-Ghazali Center for Sufi Studies.

His assassination follows a previous attempt on his life in January 2024, when Atwi survived an Israeli drone strike in Kfar Kila (Marjayoun), after an operation conducted by the Fajr Forces.

“He miraculously survived by jumping out of the car after a drone kept following his car and escaped,” a local from Habariyeh, told L’Orient Today.

Atwi’s rocket launches against Israel in 2014

On July 25, 2014, during the Israeli assault on Gaza, Atwi was directly involved in launching rockets from southern Lebanon towards Israeli settlements, in an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

In an interview with al-Jadeed in 2014, Atwi explained his motives, citing the “ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza, the killing of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir, and the continued violations of Palestinian rights.”

He also referenced the Lebanese government’s stance, which supported the right of resistance.

Atwi, alongside two others, launched the rockets from a farm in Ain Arab, along Lebanon’s southern border, targeting three Israeli settlements.

However, a malfunction caused a small explosion, injuring Atwi and briefly causing him to lose consciousness. After receiving treatment in the Bekaa region, he was arrested by Lebanese authorities.

He was eventually released on August 1, 2014.

In response to his killing, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya condemned the attack, labeling it as an act of “Zionist aggression” and raising concerns about Israel’s expanding military operations deep into Lebanese territories.

The group also described the assassination as a retaliatory act linked to the growing role of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya and its resistance factions along the southern border, which have been actively confronting Israeli targets since October 2023.

The Israeli military announced, in a message on X from its Arabic-speaking spokesperson Avichay Adraee, that it had eliminated a “high-ranking official of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, affiliated with Hamas,” in the Naameh region near Damour. According to Adraee, Hussein Atwi was “involved in planning terrorist plots against Israel, including attacks on the Israeli military at the northern border.”

The military claimed that, during his years with al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, Atwi “had conducted rocket fire, attempted to infiltrate Israeli territory, and planned attacks against Israelis worldwide.”