Tensions in Beirut, clashes in Saida during commemoration of Assad's fall

Monday night was tense in Beirut and in the city of Saida, southern Lebanon, marking the first anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Convoys of Hezbollah supporters moved through various neighborhoods of the city, while supporters of the new Syrian regime paraded on the other side of town, though no clashes were reported.

In Saida, a major Sunni city in the South, clashes broke out Monday evening between people commemorating the fall of the Syrian regime and others from the neighboring area of Haret Saida, according to information from our correspondent in the region.

Several videos filmed Monday night in Beirut show motorcycle convoys riding through the southern suburbs, carrying Hezbollah flags, especially on the Hadi Nasrallah highway.

Heavy gunfire was reported in the Tayyouneh and Qasqas areas, as well as on the road leading to Beirut's international airport.

Videos shot in the Msharrafieh district show a masked, armed man firing into the air, as well as dozens of bikers gathered in the same area, carrying Hezbollah flags and dancing to a song in praise of Bashar al-Assad.

Hezbollah convoys were also filmed in Raouche in western Beirut, carrying yellow flags and photos of the party's former leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel in September 2024. Supporters of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah also demonstrated in the Khandaq al-Ghamiq area, in western Beirut.

Hezbollah fought alongside the forces of the ousted president, Bashar al-Assad, during the Syrian Civil War, and at that time controlled regions on the Lebanese-Syrian border.

An Islamist coalition overthrew Assad on Dec. 8, 2024.

Supporters of the new Syrian president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, were spotted in convoys in Khalde, Aramoun and Damour, south of the capital.

Meanwhile, reports on social media indicated that shots were fired during the passage of a motorcycle convoy on the Qasqas-Tariq al-Jadideh road in Beirut, with no further details on the identities of those responsible for the gunfire or the convoy's passengers.

Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, a source within the Lebanese Army said there were no direct confrontations in Beirut between Hezbollah and pro-Sharaa supporters. The source was unable to provide precise information about the various convoys that crossed the city.

Clashes in Saida, army intervenes

Unlike Beirut, where no major incident was reported despite the tensions, clashes erupted Monday evening in the city of Saida, southern Lebanon, between supporters of the new Syrian authorities commemorating Assad's fall and residents of the locality of Haret Saida.

These incidents occurred on the coastal corniche, in the Abra district, as well as at Elia Square. Residents also complained about road closures and slogans considered foreign to the city of Saida, our correspondent notes. The army quickly intervened and successfully calmed the situation.

Another incident was reported at the entrance to the locality of Kfar Roummane (Nabatieh district), involving young Syrians displaying portraits of the new Syrian president and others whose identities were not specified, according to our correspondent. The incident left several injured and required the intervention of the army, which carried out patrols in the region.

In Tripoli, the major city of northern Lebanon, celebrations marking the departure of Assad started Sunday night and continued throughout Monday. These gatherings brought together hundreds of Lebanese and Syrians at al-Nour Square in the city center.