A plan to project images of Hezbollah’s late leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine onto Beirut’s iconic Rawshe Rock has triggered an outcry from lawmakers in the capital, who denounced the move as a provocation and an infringement on a national symbol.

The seaside landmark, one of Beirut’s most famous tourist attractions, is considered part of Lebanon’s public maritime property. By law, any activity involving the site — including hanging banners or projecting images — requires prior approval from the Beirut governor, who represents central authority in the capital, not from the municipality alone. Security forces are tasked with removing any unauthorized encroachments on public property.

So far, neither the governor’s office nor the municipality has received a formal request for the event, according to local daily Annahar.

Several MPs said the plan would undermine the rock’s symbolic status, saying that turning the site into a space for political expression erodes its unifying character and risks deepening divisions in a city already highly sensitive to political and sectarian tensions.

Critics also see the move as part of Hezbollah’s push to assert its presence in the heart of Beirut, beyond its traditional stronghold in the southern suburbs. Commemorations marking the first anniversary of Nasrallah’s killing are being staged across the capital, from the Sports City complex to the Manara seafront.

Supporters of the group dismissed the backlash, accusing opponents of double standards on freedom of expression, pointing to instances where images of other leaders were displayed without controversy.

“Martyr leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was not just a political figure or a military commander, but a school in honesty, loyalty and sacrifice,” said Yanal Solh, a Sunni MP in Hezbollah’s bloc.

The dispute underscores the city’s political sensitivities. Beirut has long been a symbolic stronghold of Lebanon’s Sunni community, while Hezbollah’s expanding visibility in the capital has fueled tensions.

“Rawshe Rock is a landmark and symbol of the capital. No partisan political image has ever been placed on it, and only Beirutis have the right to express themselves there,” Beirut MP Nabil Badr told Annahar.

Authorities have yet to decide whether to allow the planned projection. Badr said he was told no permit could be issued because such an event could “threaten civil peace in Beirut and provoke confrontation with its residents.”

Addressing Hezbollah directly, Badr said: “Respect the space and sensitivities of others. We are all Lebanese, and we honor Nasrallah’s sacrifice against Israel. But every Lebanese feels protective of their own symbolic spaces, especially when politics is involved."

The dispute over projecting Nasrallah’s image onto Rawshe Rock risks moving beyond symbolism, emerging as a fresh flashpoint between Hezbollah and its rivals in Beirut. At a sensitive moment both at home and across the region, the fate of a single projection on a natural landmark could reflect a far deeper struggle over the identity of the capital, and of Lebanon itself.