To celebrate the return of displaced residents to southern Lebanon, supporters on scooters from Hezbollah and the Amal Movement paraded Sunday evening in Beirut in some Christian areas unfavorable to them, brandishing weapons, party flags and provocative slogans, particularly in neighborhoods like Furn al-Shebbak and Ain al-Remmaneh, on Gouraud Street in Gemmayze, and in Hazmieh, according to videos posted on social media.

The demonstration was heavily criticized online, while Lebanese Forces MP Ghassan Hasbani denounced it as a "provocation" that disrupted the process of returning displaced people to their villages.

It all began with a call made late Sunday afternoon in Beirut's southern suburb, while southern Lebanon was still counting the dead among those who were attempting to return to their villages still occupied by Israel. The cease-fire period between Hezbollah and the Israeli state, initially set for 60 days, was extended for three weeks on Sunday night.

This call, which Hezbollah officials did not endorse, planned to launch a motorized convoy in Beirut's southern suburbs at 6 p.m. to celebrate the "victory forged by the blood of martyrs," notably that of the "supreme martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah."

Celebratory gunfire

Shortly after the scheduled time, the first news about this convoy, accompanied by abundant celebratory gunfire in the southern suburbs, began circulating in the press. While passing through Christian neighborhoods, participants chanted "Shiites, Shiites" provoking anger among residents and Christian officials, as well as a strong response from Lebanese Forces supporters, adversaries of Hezbollah, who intercepted the bikers, notably in Ain al-Remmaneh, where the army immediately deployed.

The supporters of Hezbollah and Amal also crisscrossed the streets of the southern suburbs in large numbers on scooters, cars or even on foot, displaying flags of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, firing in the air and setting off fireworks. The same scene played out in Maghdousheh in southern Lebanon, according to internet users.

"Hezbollah terrorists roam the regions of Beirut to provoke discord," denounced an internet user, Tony Boulos, calling on the army to react.

"After sending its supporters to sensitive areas of southern Lebanon, Hezbollah sends its hooligans to parade armed in Christian residential neighborhoods," said journalist Maya Khadra.

In an interview with Al-Jadeed television, Lebanese Forces MP Ghassan Hasbani denounced "provocative political partisan demonstrations in certain Beirut neighborhoods, undermining the spontaneity of the return to the south," recalling that 22 Lebanese were killed Sunday.

"The motorized gatherings and the launching of sectarian and provocative slogans in the evening in Beirut, particularly in Gemmayze, Achrafieh and Furn al-Chebbak, constitute a violation of human rights," he added, noting that "the cease-fire agreement includes a mechanism and a committee to monitor the withdrawal, disarmament, the destruction of Hezbollah's armed infrastructure, as well as the extension of state authority from southern Lebanon to all Lebanese territories."

"What a farce! We reject these provocative demonstrations in Christian areas that have warmly welcomed displaced Shiites during the conflict," reacted political analyst Joseph Abou Fadel, calling on the Lebanese army to deploy.

Meanwhile, former dissident MP from the Free Patriotic Movement, Ziad Assouad, remarked that Hezbollah's motorized parades in the Gemmayze neighborhood "make no sense and produce no victory."

مواكب لـ #حزب_الله على من الجميزة pic.twitter.com/m3TCnFWkCj

— kataeb.org (@kataeb_Ar) January 26, 2025

مسيرة لسيّارات تحمل أعلاماً لـ #حزب_الله في منطقة الجمّيزة pic.twitter.com/lE5rjloyqr

— kataeb.org (@kataeb_Ar) January 26, 2025

مواكب لـ #حزب_الله على مستديرة الدورة pic.twitter.com/Frdz5ES7zy

— kataeb.org (@kataeb_Ar) January 26, 2025