A German court sentences a supporter of Lebanon’s Hezbollah to more than three years in jail for “illegal access to weapons” and social media posts supporting the terrorist group.
Earlier in the same trial, the 30-year-old was acquitted on charges of actually fighting for Hezbollah and being a member of the group.
The court in Berlin gives him a sentence of three years and nine months over social media posts he made with videos taken during a trip to Lebanon in 2023.
In the videos, he is seen handling rifles and anti-tank missiles and taking part in shooting practice.
The court finds he also spread propaganda videos and displayed Hezbollah symbols such as flags and scarves.
However the court says that the videos in question show that the accused had had no training in dealing with the weapons and that he had acted in a “partly amateurish” fashion.
His earlier claims to have fought with the terror organization were made up in order to impress his friends, the court finds.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Friday, April 24, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
