Hundreds of people rallied on Wednesday evening in Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in support of Iran and its allies in the Middle East war, AFP correspondents reported. The demonstration took place despite the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, with Israel continuing daily airstrikes on south and east Lebanon and occasionally striking Beirut's southern suburbs, known locally as Dahiyeh, most recently on Sunday.
Rally Details
AFP correspondents said hundreds of people, including many women and children, attended the rally. Some waved Hezbollah or Iranian flags, while others held images of Iranian leaders, including the current supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28 at the start of the Middle East war. Portraits of former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, killed in massive Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs in September 2024 during a previous round of hostilities, were also displayed.
“We are here in Dahiyeh in solidarity with the resistance, to send a message that we are steadfast,” said Samar Hammoud, 54, at the rally. “Their planes don’t frighten us, their weapons don’t frighten us. We will stay and struggle and we will be victorious, God willing.”
Symbols and Slogans
Some women held pictures of relatives killed in Israeli strikes in the latest war, while children waved the Lebanese flag. The crowd chanted slogans in support of Iran, Hezbollah, Gaza, and Yemen. Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthi rebels, and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza are part of an “axis of resistance” grouping of pro-Iran forces opposed to Israel and the United States.
Similar Rally in Yemen
In Yemen on Wednesday evening, the Houthi rebels' Al-Masirah channel reported a similar gathering in Sanaa, showing images of scores of demonstrators in the Yemeni capital, which is held by the Iran-backed group.
Context of the Conflict
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion. Tehran insists a halt to the wider Middle East conflict must include a ceasefire in Lebanon. Iran launched missiles at Israel on Sunday in response to Israel bombing Beirut's southern suburbs earlier that day, sparking Israeli strikes on Iran before both sides halted their fire. Iran has warned it will resume attacks on Israel if the latter keeps striking Lebanon.
