'Beirut deserves to regain its role and splendor,' Salam reacts to Assi Hellani and DJ Rodge's concert

“Beirut is blessed with life, freedom and beauty… Beirut is the capital of literature and arts in this region… Beirut deserves to regain its role and splendor,” Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam wrote on X Sunday.

“These words come from my message to the youth who gathered under the slogan ‘It's time for change’ in Beirut [during the concert of] Assi Hellani and DJ Rodge,” Salam emphasized.

"بيروت بتلبقلها الحياة، بتلبقلها الحرية، وبيلبقلها الجمال … بيروت عاصمة الأدب والفنون في هذه المنطقة … بيروت تستحق ان تستعيد دورها ورونقها."
من رسالتي إلى الشباب المحتفلين تحت شعار "صار وقت التغيير" في #بيروت مع #عاصي_الحلاني ودي جي رودج.@mtvlebanon @onetvlebanon@joyceakiki… pic.twitter.com/JA2ttlfIQo

— Nawaf Salam نواف سلام (@nawafasalam) March 2, 2025

Local media reported that around 10,000 people attended the concert Saturday night, organized by Lebanese news channel MTV in collaboration with One TV Radio

On Friday, during a tour in southern Lebanon, Salam expressed concerns that “lasting stability” would not be possible without a full withdrawal of the Israeli army from key strategic positions it still occupies, particularly in border areas.

The statement comes after more than a year of tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, which escalated into full-scale war on Sept. 23 before a cease-fire took effect on Nov. 27. Between Oct. 8, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, Israeli forces killed at least 3,961 people in Lebanon and injured more than 16,520.

Salam made his remarks while addressing residents of Dhaira (Sour), a village whose southern part remains occupied by Israeli forces, echoing the situation in several other border areas. Locals in Sour held a demonstration outside the Benoît Barakat barracks, demanding that the Lebanese government apply pressure for a full Israeli withdrawal.

During Salam’s visit, a man from southern Lebanon confronted him, saying: “The Zionist enemy is meters away. Can you bring back the Hamams Hills through dialogue? The government won’t let us rebuild our homes. Whoever destroyed my home, I will destroy his life. Through resistance, I will reclaim my land.”