Lebanese terrorist Georges Abdallah, who was released from a French prison in July 2025 after decades behind bars, openly defended the assassination of Israeli and American diplomats in Europe, insisting such attacks were justified in the past and remain necessary today.
In a January 13, 2026 interview on Mayadeen TV (Lebanon), Abdallah discussed the 1982 assassinations of Israeli diplomat Yaacov Barsimantov and US military attaché Charles R. Ray in Paris. He said that operations carried out abroad must be conducted “very cleanly” in order not to give enemies an opportunity to thwart them.
Referring specifically to the killing of Barsimantov, Abdallah said the attackers had to avoid harming the diplomat’s family, even though this increased the risk to the assassin. He claimed that sparing Barsimantov’s son was necessary because the child could later seek revenge, presenting this as part of what he described as “disciplined revolutionary work.”
Abdallah went on to express hope that European revolutionary groups and Arab forces would “fulfill their duty” and resume attacks abroad, adding that such operations are inevitable. He emphasized that he views assassinations of Israeli and American figures in Europe not as crimes, but as legitimate acts of resistance.
