Ziad Rahbani posthumously awarded the Order of the Cedar medal by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on July 28, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/ L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Cabinet has renamed Hafez al-Assad Avenue, the main road that connects central Beirut to the capital's international airport, to Ziad Rahbani Avenue, according to Information Minister Paul Morcos, who made the announcement following Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.
The iconic Lebanese musician, composer, actor, playwright and political commentator Ziad Rahbani died of a heart attack at age 69 on July 26 after battling several illnesses and was laid to rest last Monday amid a torrent of tributes and a wave of national emotion.
The entire political spectrum, from the Lebanese Forces to Hezbollah, paid tribute to him, and dozens of officials and political and media figures offered condolences to his family, especially his mother, Fairuz, one of the most celebrated singers in the Arab world.
Another street named after Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad running through Upper Metn was renamed Freedom Avenue in December, shortly after the Assad regime, then headed by his son Bashar, was ousted.
