Hezbollah-led protests on Beirut’s airport road escalated as demonstrators condemned Israeli violations and American influence, facing tear gas and gunfire from security forces.
Thousands of Lebanese citizens gathered on Saturday in a sit-in called for by Hezbollah on the old road leading to Beirut International Airport in protest against Israel’s violations of Lebanese sovereignty and in rejection of submitting to Israeli threats.
Deputy Head of Hezbollah’s Political Council, Mahmoud Qamati, reaffirmed his opposition to Lebanon being under American control, stating, “We are patient, but patience has limits.”
Speaking from the sit-in, Qamati remarked, “The state continues to suffer under American dictates, and we will not accept that this country be under the influence of America and Israel.”
Over the past two days, protests had already erupted on the Beirut Airport Road in response to the refusal to allow the Iranian Mahan Air plane to land last Thursday, leaving Lebanese citizens stranded in Iran.
Thousands of Lebanese citizens have gathered in a sit-in called for by Hezbollah on Saturday on the old road leading to Beirut International Airport in protest against the Israeli enemy’s violations of Lebanese sovereignty and in rejection of submitting to Israeli threats. pic.twitter.com/p2DZlMBvqQ
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 15, 2025
“Preventing Iranian aircraft from landing at Beirut airport is an affront to the Lebanese state and highlights the imposition of American dictates on the country,” Qamati emphasized, adding that Hezbollah “will not accept foreign dictates” and underscoring that “Iran is a friendly country.”
Addressing Lebanese politicians, he said, “If you choose to submit, the people of the resistance reject American and Israeli policies of humiliation, and we will not accept them.”
Qamati also reiterated that “the resistance will continue to ensure the enemy’s withdrawal from the south and will not accept any official stance that allows the enemy to remain on our land.”
While Qamati was delivering his speech, the Lebanese army began launching tear gas at protesters on the airport road in Beirut. Gunfire could also be heard during the sit-in.
Several cases of fainting were reported among protesters due to the tear gas, and ambulances were deployed to transport some of those affected.
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Salam: Strict Enforcement of the Law
Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated from Baabda Palace that he had discussed with President Joseph Aoun “the issue of strict enforcement of the law, and the arrest and trial of those responsible for harming security over the past two days without leniency.”
“Freedom of expression is guaranteed, but attacking public property is entirely different,” Salam said, adding, “UNIFIL is a stabilizing factor in the south, and we rely on it, and attacking it is a crime against Lebanon.”
He further noted, “We are in communication with our mission in Iran, and what matters to us is ensuring the return of Lebanese citizens from there,” stressing that “the safety of Beirut Airport is a top priority,” and that “we will not tolerate any issues related to it.”
(PC, Al Mayadeen)
