Hussain Harake, a security guard at a British Airways lounge in Britain's Heathrow Airport, had his security clearance taken away after he eulogized Hezbollah terrorists on social media, The Sunday Times reported.
According to the report, Harake, 29, operates Zayir UK, an unregistered charity that has raised over £300,000 in funds for Lebanese aid.
Part of the fundraising for the charity, of which his wife, Zeinab Basma, an NHS doctor, is the president, has occurred on university campuses in the UK.
“The charity, Zayer, is split into different departments … we have a department for children, which is organised with the social work of Hezbollah," Harake told the Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar upon founding the charity in 2021, according to The Sunday Times.
Harake's sister has also told an Arab news outlet, “Within Lebanon, we co-operate with all the religious institutions, civil society organisations and social work entities within Hezbollah.”
The charity, according to The Sunday Times, has been supported by British preacher, Hussain Makke, who, attending former Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah's funeral eulogized him as “a person who is regarded by much of the world as its greatest freedom fighter of the last century."
After Australia rescinded his visa due to his comments, Harake's wife subsequently said the charity had since "cut ties" with the preacher.
Among Harake's social media posts praising the terror group was a photo near the tomb of a Hezbollah terrorist who had volunteered at an affiliate of Zayir UK in Lebanon.
In 2016, Harake established the Zayer Charity Association, a parent body of Zayir UK, whose registered address is in Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahiyeh.
The Zayer Charity Association Facebook page includes posts such as a eulogy for Nasrallah following his killing by the IDF in September and a call to attend his funeral in February, "as an expression of loyalty and social solidarity," according to the report.
The Sunday Times further noted that both posts have since been deleted.
Harake couple responds to report
The report cited Harake's wife as saying no cash had been sent to Lebanon, but rather “We sent containers full of parcels during the [2023-24] war. We did a baby milk campaign; we’ve done a nappies campaign; we sent tents.
“This failed smear attempt against us is part of a broader campaign of penetration by the state of Israel within Britain, which, not content with its genocidal war against Lebanese people in their homeland, seeks to harass and defame them abroad," the Harake couple were quoted as saying.
“Zayir UK operates in accordance with UK law. It has provided essential aid to all Lebanese communities facing economic hardship, and it has no political affiliations.
"More recently, Zayir has provided food and medicine to Lebanese victims of Zionist ethnic cleansing. We remain steadfast in supporting victims of genocide, and our vital humanitarian work will not be deterred by malicious actors serving a hostile foreign regime," they reportedly added.