BEIRUT: Hezbollah projected images of the group’s slain leaders, Hassan Nasrallah and Hisham Safieddine, onto Beirut landmark Raouche Rock on Thursday in open defiance of an agreement between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
The display marked the upcoming first anniversaries of the assassinations of Nasrallah and Safieddine, on Sept. 27 and Oct. 3 respectively. Salam’s office had issued an order prohibiting the use of public or symbolic sites for partisan purposes without authorization. It came as efforts by the government and army to disarm Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups continue.
Thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered along Beirut’s seafront promenade for the event, chanting slogans proclaiming the group’s victory. Senior figures in attendance included Wafiq Safa, head of the Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit, and MP Amin Sherri, who led the rally.
They were joined by members of the group’s main political ally, the Amal Movement, and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. Supporters waved banners and Hezbollah flags, and displayed large portraits of the group’s former leaders.
Independent Beirut MP Ibrahim Mneimneh told Arab News: “What Hezbollah staged was a show of force, but the balance of power has shifted. The group is now transferring its problems into Lebanon.”
Lebanon, still reeling from Hezbollah’s most recent, destructive war with Israel, has been divided over Hezbollah’s display at Raouche Rock. The group announced its plan last week, prompting immediate condemnation from Beirut parliamentarians who described it as provocative move against residents of the capital and the country as a whole.
It sparked debate across the nation, with some backing it as a show of defiance, while others criticized it as an act that would deepen divisions at a time of national fragility. The debate quickly escalated into hostile exchanges on social media that fueled sectarian tensions.
Salam faced criticism when he issued the order instructing public institutions, municipalities and other agencies to prohibit the use of public, archaeological or symbolic sites for any displays without prior authorization. The directive was widely seen as an attempt to prevent Hezbollah’s plans.
A government source told Arab News: “Following the circular, (Hezbollah) sought approval from the governor of Beirut (for its display) through an affiliated (nongovernmental organization).
“The governor allowed gatherings, under strict conditions, but prohibited illuminating the rock with images on land, at sea or in the air.”
The ruling was accompanied by direct communications between Berri, a Hezbollah ally, and Salam that resulted in an understanding that the gathering could proceed within these limitations, the source added.
Hezbollah ignored the agreement, however. On Thursday morning, the group renewed its call for a gathering at Raouche Rock and for images of its slain leaders to be projected onto the landmark.
It urged supporters to “widely participate in this event, which affirms loyalty to the blood of the martyred leaders and renews the pledge to follow in their footsteps.”
Hezbollah also distanced itself from the organization that had sought the permit, and a delegation from the group informed Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar that it intended to “continue its activity.”
Lebanese security and military forces tried to block access to the area, including efforts to prevent cars from parking on nearby streets, but Hezbollah supporters bypassed the restrictions. They reached the area by sea, in boats displaying the group’s flag, and on land, where hundreds gathered on a rocky area facing the landmark.
Political commentator Ali Al-Amin told Arab News: “What Hezbollah did today reveals weakness, not strength, especially given its reliance on deception.”
He said the group was attempting to compensate for losses resulting from its inability to confront Israel, which “kills its members every day, including field commanders.”
He added: “This step also reflects the isolation Hezbollah is experiencing, which will persist as its officials are no longer able to meet and communicate as before. This has led to the rise of internal power centers that resort to exaggeration, and fuel chaos. This is the height of weakness.”
Al-Amin said Hezbollah was once a group with significant regional influence but is now reduced to defying the Lebanese state with the display Raouche Rock, and portraying the government as hostile to its base. Such actions might appease its supporters but is a provocation to many others among the Lebanese people, he added.
“The question is how long it can continue this game?” he asked, highlighting regional developments that have sidelined Hezbollah, and the ongoing Israeli strikes against the group’s members without any sign of deterrence.
Meanwhile, Salam met the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Gen. Rodolphe Heikal, on Thursday to discuss “the importance of maintaining internal security, sustaining the Lebanese army’s deployment in the south and across Lebanese territory, and monitoring steps to implement the plan of restricting weapons to the state,” the prime minister’s media office said.
