BEIRUT — An armed parade took place in the Beirut neighborhood of Zoqaq al-Blat during an Ashura march on Friday, prompting widespread condemnation and calls for the arrest of those involved.
A video circulating online shows armed individuals participating in the religious Ashura ritual, walking with their arms raised toward the sky, rhythmically striking their chests and chanting in honor of Imam al-Hussein, all while carrying weapons pointed upward.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam responded to the footage on Saturday, writing on X: “The armed parades that took place in Beirut are unacceptable in any form and under any justification whatsoever. I have contacted the Ministers of Interior and Justice and asked them to take all necessary measures to enforce the law, arrest the perpetrators, and refer them for investigation.”
In a radio interview relayed by the National News Agency, Ghassan Hasbani, Lebanese Forces MP and former minister, stated that “it is the duty of the security forces to arrest those who carried weapons and participated in this religious procession,” urging the Lebanese to “get used to the idea of the rule of law, whose laws must apply to everyone without exception.”
He added that the message behind these demonstrations is clear: a determination to keep weapons and Hezbollah’s refusal to hand them over, including heavy and medium arms. He warned,
“If the Lebanese state does not do its duty and does not show firmness, we will see the repeated warnings of several foreign parties come true: Lebanon will be left to its fate.”
Later on Saturday, local TV channel Al Jadeed reported that Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar instructed the Internal Security Forces and General Security to identify those appearing in the armed video in Beirut and to take the necessary measures.
MP Ibrahim Mneimneh also condemned the video in a statement published on Friday: “Raising weapons in Beirut neighborhoods and this unjustified parade is an act of thuggery and intimidation, holding the city hostage to uncontrolled weapons, which we will not accept under any pretext or name.”
“If this is a message aimed at clinging to weapons, it unfortunately reflects a lack of understanding of the political reality,” he added.
The Lebanese cabinet and President Michel Aoun have repeatedly stated that Lebanon must monopolize arms, mainly referring to Hezbollah’s arsenal. Recently, Lebanon received a proposal from the U.S. regarding Hezbollah’s disarmament, to which Beirut is expected to respond soon. Hezbollah, however, refuses to hand over its arsenal.
Log in to your account to see the results of the polls Prime Minister Nawaf Salam responded to the footage on Saturday, writing on X: “The armed parades that took place in Beirut are unacceptable in any form and under any justification whatsoever. I have contacted the Ministers of Interior and Justice and asked them to take all necessary measures to enforce the law, arrest the perpetrators, and refer them for investigation.” Read more Hezbollah open to giving up its 'heavy weapons,' and then? He added that the message behind these demonstrations is clear: a determination to keep weapons and Hezbollah’s refusal to hand them over, including heavy and medium arms. He warned, ...
