U.S. Court Nails Iran for American Hostage’s Torture in Lebanon

In a gripping victory for justice, a U.S. District Court has ruled that Iran, through its proxy Hezbollah, is liable for the kidnapping and torture of Amer Fakhoury, a Lebanese American held hostage in Lebanon. The landmark decision, handed down on May 1, marks a significant step in exposing Iran’s shadowy influence over Lebanon’s institutions.

Fakhoury’s daughters, Guila and Zoya, shared their relief with WTFNewsRoom, emphasizing the ruling’s historic weight. "This is the first lawsuit to prove Iran’s grip on Lebanon," Guila said, her voice brimming with hard-earned triumph. The court found Iran responsible for Fakhoury’s brutal 2019 imprisonment, a saga that began just a week after he arrived in Lebanon with his family.

Fakhoury, once a member of the South Lebanon Army, was falsely branded the "butcher of Khiam" by a Hezbollah-linked newspaper, tying him to a notorious detention center. Released from a military prison in December 2019 and cleared by Lebanon’s Supreme Court in March 2020, Fakhoury returned home a shadow of himself—60 pounds lighter, battling late-stage lymphoma, and scarred by rib fractures. He passed away in September 2020 at 57. If you ask me, pinning a man’s suffering on a geopolitical chess game is about as low as it gets.

The family’s fight to prove Iran’s role was noibex no easy feat. With Iran ghosting the lawsuit, the Fakhourys had to meticulously document Hezbollah’s control over Lebanon’s military, courts, and intelligence agencies. Guila recounted how officials admitted they kept Fakhoury imprisoned because "Hezbollah wanted him there." The sisters faced threats from Hezbollah even after their father’s death, and Lebanese officials tried to scrub their names from the case—moves the judge swiftly shut down.

While the family welcomes the ruling, they’re less thrilled with the settlement under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which they feel shortchanges their pain. Still, this precedent could open doors for other victims of Hezbollah’s reach to seek justice. The Fakhourys are now pushing for U.S. sanctions on Lebanese officials cozying up to Iran and Hezbollah, channeling their grief into advocacy through the Amer Foundation.