7 days ago
‘Youth of Dahieh' calls for mass rally on Airport Road at 9 p.m. to oppose Hezbollah disarmament efforts
A group called 'The Youth of Dahieh' called for a mass mobilization on Saturday in a statement announcing a popular march to oppose 'any attempt to disarm the resistance' at 9 p.m. on Airport Road.
'We call on you to raise your voices in defense of the weapons that have safeguarded the homeland,' the statement said.
Since Monday, Hezbollah supporters have been voicing their opposition to any attempts to disarm the party. Seven protesters were arrested and later released by the Lebanese Army on Friday night, a source at the army told L'Orient Today on Saturday.
The government of Nawaf Salam announced Tuesday that it had tasked the army with preparing a plan to implement the disarmament of militias, including Hezbollah, before the end of the year.
On Thursday, the cabinet approved the 'objectives' defined in the roadmap proposed by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to ensure proper implementation of the cease-fire agreement. This agreement came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, after 13 months of war between Hezbollah and Israel, but is violated almost daily by the Israeli state, which continues to occupy five points in southern Lebanon and carry out attacks in several regions of the country.
At the same time, Tel Aviv accuses Hezbollah of seeking to rebuild its infrastructure south of the Litani River. The 'Barrack Plan' envisions the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups by the end of the year, along with a series of other measures, such as implementing reforms, supporting the Lebanese Army, and delimiting borders with Syria and Israel.
The protests on Thursday and Friday nights against this plan took the form of dozens of motorcycle convoys whose drivers and passengers, waving Hezbollah's yellow flags, traveled through various areas of the country, notably the southern suburbs of Beirut.
On Saturday, the Lebanese Army stated that it will tolerate no violation 'of security or civil peace,' nor any road closures, in response to the previous evening's demonstrations by Hezbollah supporters protesting the government's decision to disarm the party-militia by the end of the year. A source within the army also confirmed that seven people were briefly arrested on the sidelines of the convoys.
