Ain El-Remmaneh, the Beirut neighborhood forever etched into Lebanon’s national memory, is preparing to host a deeply symbolic ceremony this Saturday to mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of the “Lebanese Resistance.” Organized by the Lebanese Kataeb Party, the commemoration coincides with April 13, the day the country was plunged into a 15-year civil war in 1975, sparked on these very streets.

The event will take place just steps from the site where the war’s first shots were fired, in a place still haunted by the memories of one of the bloodiest chapters in Lebanon’s history. The program will feature speeches by former fighters and war-wounded veterans, followed by a march to a memorial plaque honoring Joseph Abou Assi, the Kataeb’s first martyr in the war, where participants will lay wreaths in his memory.

This year’s ceremony carries added weight as it comes amid major shifts on both the domestic and regional political scenes. It also echoes a recent address by Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel, who called for a truth and reconciliation conference aimed at healing old wounds and paving the way for a new beginning.

Patrick Richa, head of the Kataeb's Media Department, said the decision to organize a large-scale event was both deliberate and meaningful.

“This year marks the 50th anniversary, and for the Kataeb, it’s a day to remember Joseph Abou Assi — their own martyr, and the first martyr of the Lebanese Civil War,” Richa told Annahar. “At the same time, Lebanon has finally emerged from that war. It’s essential that we reflect on what happened, and explain to the younger generations what led us to April 13 — how we got there, and why we continue to live with conflict, instability, and cycles of violence.”

Richa stressed that the war’s lessons remain urgent and relevant.

“We lived through a war that taught us a lot,” he said. “It’s important for the Kataeb Party to share its long, difficult experience with the Lebanese people to help the country avoid making the same mistakes. In a 90-minute ceremony, we’ll condense that journey into a testimony and a forward-looking vision.”

For Richa, April 13, 1975, was not just a random flashpoint. It was the breaking point after years of unresolved tensions.

“There had been seven years of buildup,” he explained. “That day was the moment everything overflowed. What happened was the inevitable result of all that came before.”