Hezbollah projects images of Nasrallah on Beirut landmark in defiance of government directive
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.
