The Lakkis Farm restaurant, located on Kantari Street in Beirut. Photo taken from its website.
Screams of terror, an overturned table, breaking glass, and men forcing their way into a restaurant — these chaotic scenes were captured in a video showing vandalism, allegedly by Hezbollah supporters, at Lakkis Farm restaurant on Kantari Street in Beirut. The footage, which circulated widely on social media Friday, has ignited a fierce debate.
The attack reportedly followed the release of a voice message in which the restaurant’s manager insisted that all staff report to work Sunday, the day of the funeral for former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
In the message, the manager stressed “the importance of adhering to work schedules, even in exceptional circumstances,” warning that “no one should claim they are unable to work on Sunday, for any reason.” He stated that “all departments must comply, with no exceptions and no tolerance for tardiness or absences.” The manager also warned that any unjustified absence would result in a penalty, including a salary deduction of at least three days’ wages.
The controversy has sharply divided public opinion. On X, the hashtag #LakkisFarm went viral, with some calling the manager’s remarks “indecent” and “disloyal,” while others condemned the violence, branding the perpetrators “thugs” and “terrorists.”
Mohammad Safa, son of Wafic Safa, head of Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit, threatened Thursday to launch a “targeted campaign” against such actions. “A voice recording from a restaurant manager in Beirut is circulating, in which he threatens employees by forbidding absences on Sunday under penalty of sanctions,” he wrote on X. “They have the right to enforce their rules, but we, as the community of Hassan Nasrallah, have a duty to seriously and firmly boycott those who lack loyalty.”
The video of the attack has drawn strong reactions online. Some users denounced what they called an injustice against the manager. “The more they [Hezbollah supporters] act like this, the more they incite hatred against themselves,” one user wrote. Others called for a boycott of the restaurant, with some even accusing its owner of being “filthier than the Israeli enemy.”
Some critics labeled the attackers “funeral terrorists,” while activist Farouk Yacoub wrote: “They [Hezbollah fighters] set out to fight Israel, but now they’re just toppling a restaurant manager.” Another user called for supporting businesses that stay open on Sunday, saying the restaurant’s owner was a “patriot who prioritizes work and serving his country” over attending the funeral of a “barrel of waste.”
One user wrote: “Shame on this restaurant! Instead of distributing sfihas (meat pies) in Sayyed’s memory, the manager of Lakkis Farm threatens his employees! Let’s boycott him!”
The restaurant’s management responded Friday by announcing the “immediate dismissal of the branch manager.” In a statement, the owners said the decision was made due to “remarks made on his own initiative, without consulting senior management.” They added that Mouhib Lakkis, the owner, and his associates “have never prohibited employees from attending Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral.”
Hezbollah expects “hundreds of thousands” to attend the funeral of Nasrallah and his designated successor, Hashem Safieddine, at Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut.
As the funeral approaches, tensions between Hezbollah supporters and civilians have intensified. On Thursday, a scuffle broke out at Beirut's airport when a woman held up a portrait of the late party leader. Clashes have also erupted in the capital’s southern suburbs in recent weeks during protests over the suspension of flights from Iran and remarks by former U.S. official Morgan Ortagus about Hezbollah.