Thousands of mourners gathered on Beirut’s Corniche on Thursday to mark the anniversary of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's death in a massive Israeli air strike on the Lebanese capital.
The crowd stood in solemn silence, waiting eagerly to see whether the image of their cherished leader would be projected on to Raouche’s Pigeon Rocks, a natural formation jutting into the Mediterranean and one of Beirut’s best-known landmarks.
The illumination of Mr Nasrallah and his expected successor, Hashem Safieddine – who was also assassinated – on to the cliffs had initially been planned as part of Hezbollah’s commemoration events.
But it quickly caused controversy among some political leaders and the population, who saw it as an attempt by the group to impose itself in public space and claim a national symbol.
Authorities did not grant Hezbollah permission to illuminate the landmark or project portraits of its late leaders, but uncertainty lingered until the last minute over whether the group would comply with the decision or defy the ban.
Suddenly, cheers erupted from the crowd as the rocks lit up with Mr Nasrallah’s image. “He deserves even more, he deserves the sky to be lit up,” one man shouted, as the crowd chanted in unison, “At your service, Nasrallah."
But Mr Nasrallah’s picture was not the only one projected onto the rocks. Alongside the portraits of Mr Nasrallah and Mr Safieddine, images appeared of Parliament Speaker and Amal movement leader Nabih Berri, and of former prime ministers Saad Hariri and his father Rafic Hariri, two Lebanese Sunni leaders.
The men displayed on the rock represent a good sample of Lebanon’s traditional political class.
“This shows that Mr Nasrallah does not represent only one sect, he is a national symbol for all of Lebanon. He is a beloved Lebanese leader who was martyred for Lebanon and Palestine,” said Hassan, 54, who lives in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds sway.
“He is a symbol for everyone.”
The choice of figures displayed came as a surprise, as they have generally belonged to opposing sides of Lebanon’s political divide.
Many in the country have long blamed Hezbollah and its Syrian backers for the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafic Hariri. A UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon later convicted Hezbollah members in their absence for the killing, while the group has consistently denied any involvement.
Some participants regarded the display as a symbol of unity, while others considered it to be a provocation and a challenge to the authorities’ ban.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced the move on X as “a flagrant violation of the agreement given by the city’s governor".
“I have contacted the ministers of interior, justice and defence to take appropriate measures, including the arrest of those responsible and their referral to justice to be punished in accordance with the law,” Mr Salam said.
He said that “such reprehensible behaviour will not divert us from our decision to rebuild a state based on law and institutions; on the contrary, it strengthens our determination to carry out this national duty".
Demonstration of strength
Thursday’s event at Raouche was the first in a series of 18 days of ceremonies, scheduled until October 12, to commemorate the killings of Mr Nasrallah and Mr Safieddine last year.
The Corniche was packed with mourners amid a heavy presence of security forces. The crowd included families, women and children in strollers. Many carried pictures of their assassinated leader and waved Iranian and Lebanese flags alongside Hezbollah’s yellow banner.
Women wearing yellow headbands, Hezbollah's colour, were in tears, unable to speak, as they waited for the ceremony to begin while sitting at a Dunkin’ Donuts on the Corniche facing the rocks. In the crowd, a man stood with Mr Nasrallah’s face tattooed on the back of his head.
For many, Mr Nasrallah was a father figure, and they had come to pay their respects.
"The 'Sayyed' is more important than my father. He has done more than the Arab states and the government. There is no one like him. Until now, I still can’t believe his is dead. We are waiting for him to return,” said Kahraman Raha, 35.
But many also came to demonstrate strength. Once seen as a formidable militia and a state within a state, the Iran-backed group’s power has been considerably weakened by 14 months of conflict with Israel, which officially ended in a November ceasefire.
“We are here because this is a memory for all Lebanese, because he liberated Lebanese land. The mobilisation is also symbolic, Hezbollah is not weakened, on the contrary, the support is even stronger and people are more motivated,” said Maya El Khoury, one of those at the ceremony.
Israel has continued bombing Lebanon on a daily basis despite the ceasefire, and has held on to five positions it considers to be strategic along the border.
Hezbollah's future has never been so uncertain. Its disarmament, long a taboo subject, is now on the table, despite Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem repeating that the group will not abandon its weapons.
The US has pressed for the group to fully disarm in exchange for Israel complying with its side of the truce, halting strikes on Lebanon and withdrawing from the occupied positions.
But many in the crowd said Hezbollah will never disarm. “Our weapons are our honour,” Mohamed Younes, 24, told The National.
