Vehicles drive on the airport road past billboards depicting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on May 10, 2022, ahead of Lebanon's parliamentary elections. (Credit: Aziz Taher/Reuters)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Tourism Minister Walid Nassar appealed to Hezbollah and the Amal Movement on Thursday to take down some of the billboards erected alongside Beirut airport road featuring religious and political icons revered by both parties. In their place, according to the minister’s request, should be posted billboards promoting Lebanon’s tourism sector.
Here’s what we know:
• Nassar confirmed to L’Orient Today that he has earnestly asked the press office of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement to scale down the number of billboards displaying the parties’ icons, “which we respect and revere, so that we could replace them with posters showing the beauty of Lebanon and welcome incoming tourists.”
• Following his request, Nassar said that he has received positive responses from the leadership of both parties, who assured him that they will be cooperative concerning this matter.
• Hezbollah’s media spokesperson told L’Orient Today that the billboards along the airport road are in fact paid ads from private Lebanese advertising agencies or donors and “have nothing to do with Hezbollah,” despite featuring party icons.
• The spokesperson added that, “[Hezbollah] has no problem removing [the billboards], on the contrary. The private advertising agencies are claiming that the Tourism Ministry has never requested to put up any specific advertisement on the billboards in this area for the last 20 years.”
• “We fully support promoting tourism so that the economy recovers,” the spokesperson added.
• Nassar denied that he is pushing for the removal of Hezbollah’s arms through this move saying that, “The issue has to do with tourism… that is all.”