UPDATE – Attempted Assassination of Levant Party President Rodrigue “Dimitri” Khoury

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- December 29^th, 2013

The ethnic Greek community of Lebanon is in shock today, as reports continue to surface about Saturday night’s assassination attempt of Rodrigue “Dimitri” Khoury, the President of the Antiochian Greek, Levant Party. According to reports, the attack took place around 10 pm in the al-Mina region of Tripoli. Mr. Khoury and his entourage were attack by seven bearded men, who attempt to hijack Mr. Khoury from the car he was traveling in. 

An official statement was released Sunday; by the Levant Party Press Office stated that Mr. Khoury had sustained injuries to his head and neck in the attack. The assailants had stabbed Mr. Khoury in the neck, after intercepting his car. Those wounded in the attack were transported to a nearby hospital to receive medical treatment, and are alive and well at this time. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Soon after the story broke, a huge outpouring of support flooded Mr. Khoury’s facebook page, with messages coming from Greece, Russia, Sweden, the United States, and even as far as South Africa. The Levant Party was founded in 2012, gaining official recognition by the Lebanese Ministry of the Interior on November 10^th. The party was founded in hopes of saving the Roum community’s historical ‘Byzantine-Hellenic’ identity.  It was hoped that such a party could strengthen the Greek Orthodox political presence, not only in Lebanon, but also in Syria and Jordan. 

In Lebanon, each ethno-religious community has its own political parties. Maronites, Sunnis, Shiits, Druze, even Armenians have their own parties. Until the founding of the Levant Party, the Greek Orthodox Community (7% of the nation’s population) was without its own. Thus, the Roum population was without its own united political voice. Antiochian Greeks are promised 22 seats within the Lebanese Parliament, 14 going to Greek Orthodox and 8 to Greek Catholics.

For more Information on the attack in English, please follow the links below

The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International

Greek Reporter

For more Information on the attack in Greek, please follow the links below

Proto Thema

Stoxos

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For more information on what is happening to the ethnic Greeks of Syria and what you can do,
Visit our blog at http://operationantioch.blogspot.com

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http://daimonesofhellenism.blogspot.com

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