Hezbollah armed parade sparks outrage from Lebanese government
This made arguments about the group's weapons and the state's power even stronger. The controversial display of force happened in the Zoqaq al-Blat district on Saturday during celebrations for Ashura. The event happened just a few hundred meters from the government offices.
Dozens of armed Hezbollah members were seen marching through the streets with assault weapons and chanting "At your service, Hezbollah" and other phrases in support of the group. Politicians criticized the show right away, but Hezbollah hasn't said anything in public yet.
The parade was strongly condemned by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who said it was "completely unacceptable under any circumstances." In a post on the social network X, Salam said he had called the Ministers of Interior and Justice and asked them to start legal action and look into those who did it.
Ibrahim Mneimneh, an independent MP from Beirut, agreed with the others and called the parade an act of "thuggery and intimidation" meant to keep military power over Beirut without any checks. He said that these kinds of displays don't show a good understanding of the current situation in Lebanon and are "void of real value." He also asked the police and the courts to step in right away and arrest those responsible.
عناصر مسلّحة من حزب الله يظهرون علناً بسلاحهم خلال مسيرة عاشورائية في زقاق البلاط-بيروت.هذه المظاهر هي تحدّي للدولة، وعلى الأجهزة المعنية استدعاءهم ومحاكمتهم ومصادرة أسلحتهم. من يحمينا من هذا السلا ح؟؟
هذا السلاح لمن موجّه ؟ @grandserail @LBpresidency pic.twitter.com/3O0FlCYTiy
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