Hezbollah defies Lebanon prime minister’s ban with coastal light show honoring fallen leaders

Thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered along Beirut’s coast on Thursday to project images of the group’s former longtime leader and his designated successor onto the iconic Raouche rocks, commemorating their deaths in Israeli airstrikes nearly a year ago. The event occurred despite an apparent attempt by Lebanon’s prime minister to halt the planned light display, after Nawaf Salam issued a circular cautioning against the use of national monuments for partisan propaganda and ordering public bodies to require licenses before any activities on public land, sea areas, or landmarks bearing national symbolism.

Salam said a gathering permit had been issued by the Beirut governor but that the permit clearly stipulated the Raouche rocks should not be illuminated, nor should light images be broadcast from land, sea, or air. He asked the interior, justice, and defense ministers to take appropriate measures, including arresting the perpetrators and referring them for investigation, and said the incident undermined Hezbollah’s credibility in dealing with state institutions. A Hezbollah representative, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group’s procedures, said organizers had only requested permission for the gathering, noting it was unclear which agency held authority to authorize a light show on the rock and arguing that the event might fall under freedom of expression in Lebanon’s constitution. The exchange underscored a broader struggle over authority in Lebanon as the country grapples with the militant group’s role and the ongoing regional conflict.

The gathering came as Hezbollah sought to project power after sustaining high-profile losses in the past year. The group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in a series of Israeli strikes on a site in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sept. 27, 2024, that destroyed an entire block where he was meeting with an Iranian general and several top commanders. Days later, Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s designated successor, was killed in another round of airstrikes on the southern outskirts of Beirut. The events occurred within a longer timeline of escalation tied to the broader Israel-Hamas war that began with Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and drew Hezbollah into a widening regional conflict.【1†source】 The war in Gaza and the cross-border hostilities prompted a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November 2024, but Israel has continued near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon, including areas near border towns.

Lebanese officials have said the government aims to disarm Hezbollah and centralize weapons in the hands of state institutions, yet public reports indicate the army remains reluctant to forcibly disarm the group amid concerns over potential civil conflict. Hezbollah, for its part, has said it will not discuss handing over weapons while Israeli strikes continue and while Israel remains in control of several border points in southern Lebanon. The domestic political landscape reflects competing priorities: a cash-strapped state trying to maintain stability while facing international pressure to curb what Western and regional partners view as Hezbollah’s independent military capacity. The government’s stance illustrates the delicate balance in Lebanon, where political factions, security concerns, and external pressures intersect as the country navigates a fragile post-conflict reality.

Observers say the demonstration, though publicly framed as a commemoration, also served as a message to supporters and opponents alike: Hezbollah remains a force within Lebanon’s political landscape, capable of mobilizing large crowds and testing the limits of state authority. The episode highlights the country’s ongoing struggle to reconcile the demands of a sovereign state with the realities of a powerful nonstate actor that has both electoral support and regional backers. As Lebanon continues to grapple with economic hardship and security threats, the question of how to integrate Hezbollah into a centralized security framework without triggering broader sectarian tension remains unresolved, underscoring the fragility of the country’s political order in a volatile regional environment.