Hezbollah protesters on the road to the airport, Feb. 15, 2025. (Credit: Lyana Alameddine/L'OLJ)
BEIRUT — Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters staged a 90-minute sit-in on Saturday in Beirut’s southern suburbs near the Beirut airport. The protest was the group’s response to Lebanese authorities’ decision to block Iranian planes from landing in Lebanon, a move prompted by an Israeli military spokesperson’s claim that Hezbollah was receiving funds from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on civilian flights.
The sit-in came a day after an attack on a U.N. Interim Force (UNIFIL) convoy in the same area, which Hezbollah denied responsibility for and condemned.
The demonstration was swiftly dispersed by the Lebanese Army using tear gas and other measures.
'All this because of a tweet' from Avichay Adraee
Protesters, including young men, families and children, gathered near the Cocodi bridge on the road to Beirut’s airport shortly before 4 p.m. They chanted in support of Hezbollah’s current secretary-general, Naim Qassem, and slogans including “labbayka ya Nasrallah” (at your service, Nasrallah) in reference to his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israel on Sept. 27. Other chants targeted the United States and Israel, including “America, America! You are the worst Satan!” and “Death to Israel!”
"We’re here to oppose the decision to turn back the plane [from Tehran on Thursday]. This is an attack on our sovereignty," one demonstrator told L’Orient-Le Jour’s reporter. "All of this was because of a tweet [from Avichay Adraee the Israeli army Arabic spokesperson]. That’s why we’re protesting.”
She dismissed concerns raised by critics of the demonstration, saying, "We are not against the Lebanese. We have sacrificed a lot for this country — even for those who are against us."
Hezbollah 'will act accordingly'
"The decision to ban the Iranian plane from landing in Lebanon is an attack on the state and its security forces,” Hezbollah’s deputy head of the political council, Mahmoud Qomati, said during the protest. "Why do you submit to U.S. and Israeli dictates?"
"We will not allow our homeland to fall into Israeli and American hands … nor accept this humiliation," he added. Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Moussawi claimed that the party "is waiting to see the government's actions in the coming days to act accordingly."
As Qomati's was speaking, smoke bombs were thrown into the crowd, causing panic and confusion among the demonstrators.
The sit-in dispersed
"They threw tear gas at us," a teenage girl told L’Orient-Le Jour, visibly distressed. "Some people vomited, others are still bleeding. This country is full of [Israeli] agents!"
Gunfire was also heard, heightening the tension. As security forces moved in to clear the protest, an organizer announced the sit-in’s end, urging participants not to confront security forces.
Nearby, a Lebanese soldier posted on a bridge told L’Orient-Le Jour: "The next phase is predictable," adding that the protesters would keep shouting until nightfall. He insisted the army had “no concerns about the situation” and added, “After all, we are the state.”