DUBAI: Lebanon marked its Resistance and Liberation Day on Monday against the backdrop of continued Israeli strikes and fresh displacement in the country’s south, with officials saying the anniversary could not be fully celebrated while parts of Lebanese territory remain under attack.
The national holiday commemorates May 25, 2000, when Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon after a 22-year occupation.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for this year’s anniversary to be observed as a day of solidarity with those affected by the ongoing conflict rather than celebration.
“Let us make this year’s occasion of Resistance and Liberation Day a day of solidarity with the families of the martyrs, the wounded, the prisoners, the displaced, and our steadfast people in the South and the frontline villages,” Salam said.
“As for the holiday, we will not celebrate it until the day of Israel’s complete withdrawal from our land and the safe, dignified return of our people.”
