ISTANBUL

A heavily armed parade organized by Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital of Beirut sparked widespread criticism, with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Saturday calling the display “unacceptable” and ordering the arrest and investigation of those involved.

On Friday, the Zuqaq al-Blat area in Beirut—just a few hundred meters from the government headquarters—witnessed a parade marking the commemoration of the Ashura ceremonies. A large number of Hezbollah fighters participated, marching through the streets waving automatic rifles in the air and chanting slogans, including “At your service, Hezbollah.”

This armed parade took place amid escalating official and political calls within Lebanon to place all weapons—including Hezbollah’s—in the hands of the state.

The debate was intensified by a proposal presented by US envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack to Lebanese officials during his visit to Beirut on June 19.

The proposal calls for Hezbollah to surrender all its weapons by the end of this year at the latest, in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from five points it occupies in southern Lebanon and the release of funds allocated for the reconstruction of areas devastated by the recent Israeli war.

Widespread criticism

While Hezbollah’s armed parade received widespread reactions and criticism from several political forces, the party has yet to respond to the criticisms by the time of publication.

The strongest reaction came from Prime Minister Salam, who emphasized in a post on X Saturday that such parades are “unacceptable under any circumstances and for any justification.”

He added: “I contacted the ministers of interior and justice, requesting them to take all necessary measures to enforce the laws, arrest those responsible, and refer them for investigation.”

Similarly, Beirut’s independent MP Ibrahim Mneimneh, via X, described “the raising of weapons in Beirut’s neighborhoods and this unjustified parade as an instrument of thuggery and intimidation to keep the city captive to uncontrolled weapons, something we will not accept under any pretext or name.”

Mneimneh added: “If the parade is meant to send a message of holding onto weapons, it unfortunately reflects a lack of understanding of the political reality and is devoid of substance in Beirut’s alleys.”

He called on the judicial and security authorities to act immediately, arrest all participants, and refer them for investigation.

Beirut MP Ghassan Hasbani also criticized Hezbollah’s armed parade.

In a televised interview, Hasbani, representing the Lebanese Forces party, stressed that “the government must take a clear stance on the presence of weapons in the capital during marches.”

He urged the security and military forces to enforce the laws on everyone by confiscating weapons during the marches and arresting those carrying them.

Likewise, Beirut’s independent MP Paula Yacoubian stated via the X platform that Hezbollah leadership continues to send young people—“in the prime of their youth”—to face a doomed fate using weapons from “a bygone era.”

She questioned the purpose of killing these youths and pushing them into a pointless war, as she put it.

Refusal to disarm

In response to Thomas Barrack’s proposal, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem Wednesday rejected any Israeli intervention in Lebanon’s internal discussions about the “weapons issue,” stressing that the party “will not hand over its weapons to the Israeli enemy.”

In a televised speech on Friday, Qassem said: “Those who demand the resistance (Hezbollah) surrender its weapons must first demand the departure of the aggression (Israel). It is unreasonable not to criticize the occupation and demand only (that) those who resist it relinquish their arms.”

He added: “Whoever accepts surrender must bear the consequences; we, however, will never accept it.”

Lebanon is currently preparing to send a draft response to Barrack’s proposal, according to local media.

Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities have repeatedly stressed over the past months the necessity of consolidating weapons under state control.

In April, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated: “We will implement ‘monopoly of weapons by the state,’ but we are waiting for the appropriate circumstances to determine how to apply it, and ‘the withdrawal of Hezbollah’s weapons requires resorting to dialogue.’”

Israel launched an assault on Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, escalating into a full-scale war by Sept. 23, 2024. More than 4,000 people have been killed, over 17,000 wounded, and nearly 1.4 million displaced, according to official data.

Despite a ceasefire reached last November, Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, saying they are targeting Hezbollah’s activities.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 231 people and injuries to more than 500, since the agreement was signed.

Under the ceasefire terms, Israel was to withdraw fully from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply. Israeli forces continue to maintain a presence at five border outposts.