Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. (Photo taken from: NNA)
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday issued a circular calling for “enforcement of the law regarding the use of public land and maritime property, as well as heritage and tourist sites, public buildings and venues with strong national symbolism.”
This unprecedented move comes as Hezbollah plans to illuminate the Raouche Rocks on Thursday with images of the former secretary-general of the party, Hassan Nasrallah, and his successor Hashem Safieddine, as part of the commemoration of their assassinations last autumn following Israel's escalation of the war. The choice of location has triggered an outcry amongst some and raised fears of potential street tensions.
Salam noted that his circular was issued “in response to the recent increase in cases of public property being used for commercial purposes, private or political interests, as well as the repeated exploitation of national monuments for propaganda or activities involving partisan slogans.”
He also reminded that “the legal provisions allowing the use of public property ... require prior authorizations from the concerned authorities.” “We ask administrations, public institutions, municipalities and relevant services to ban any use of terrestrial and maritime public spaces, as well as archaeological, tourist or highly symbolic national sites, without prior authorization,” the circular concludes.
Originally scheduled for September 28, the illumination of the Raouche Rocks was brought forward to Thursday. Last week, the Beirut municipality told L'Orient-Le Jour it had not received any request from the party for this purpose. It is unclear if Hezbollah has since obtained authorization. On Monday, neither the Beirut municipality, the capital's governor, nor the party were available for clarification.
Anthems, chants, orchestra and illuminations
Thursday's event at the Raouche Rocks is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m., with boats arriving on site. At 6:20 p.m., the Lebanese national anthem and that of Hezbollah will be performed by the Imam al-Mahdi Scouts orchestra.
At 6:30 p.m., religious chants in praise of Nasrallah and Safieddine will be performed by Ali al-Rida Dimashq. At 6:50 p.m., the Raouche Rocks will be illuminated in the colors of the Lebanese flag, followed at 6:55 p.m. by the projection of photos of the two leaders, then at 7 p.m. by the display of the slogan “We are faithful to our commitment.”
Hezbollah had announced eighteen days of ceremonies from September 25 to October 12 to commemorate Nasrallah who was killed in a massive Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sept. 27, 2024, as well as Safieddine, assassinated in the same manner a few days later.
In February, Hezbollah organized the public funerals of Nasrallah and Safieddine at Beirut's Sports City Stadium. It also remains unclear whether the party had obtained authorization from the authorities to use the venue for the occasion.
While the use of the sports stadium drew numerous criticisms, the event was attended by nearly one million people, hailing from both Lebanon and abroad.
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