By Dina Al-Amood | Staff Writer
Saad Hariri returned from the United Arab Emirates to Lebanon to commemorate the assassination anniversary of his father, Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.
Making his first appearance on Thursday, Saad Hariri visited ministers of the caretaker Mikati government at the Grand Serail. Both Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin emphasized the security threat of Israeli attacks on the southern border. They also stressed the need to elect a new president to fill the governance vacuum since the last president’s term ended back in October 2022. Meanwhile, Industry Minister George Boujikian and Tourism Minister Walid Nassar discussed issues relevant to their respective ministers with Harriri.
At the Grand Serail, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Suleiman Frangieh welcomed the former Prime Minister in an official reception ceremony. Mikati and the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, Mahmoud Makkieh, later held a lunch banquet in honor of Hariri.
On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, thousands gathered around Rafic Hariri’s tomb overlooking the Mohammad Al Amin mosque in central Beirut to commemorate his assassination anniversary. Rafic Hariri is credited for constructing the Taif Agreement, which ended the 15-year civil war. In 2005 of that date, a suicide truck bombing targeted and killed the first post-civil war prime minister in Downtown Beirut. The terrorist attack also killed 22 people and injured 226.
Intense security measures were taken for this year’s public gathering as masked gunmen surrounded Martyr’s Square, and snipers stood on top of the mosque. While the crowds gathered to pay their respects, they also chanted for Saad Hariri’s return to Lebanese politics to fill a perceived Sunni vacuum in the sphere. Many waved the pale blue flags of the Future Movement in a similar sentiment. Despite fleeing Lebanon and resigning from political life more than two years ago, Saad Hariri remains the country’s leading Sunni Muslim leader.
In his address to the crowd, Hariri said, “Everything is better when it takes place at the right time and Saad Hariri shall not abandon the people.” He added, “I want to thank all the people who came from everywhere in Lebanon…Tell everyone you have returned to the arena and that the country cannot function without you. The country’s pulse is here, so preserve this pulse, preserve the country, and we will stand by you.”
Mustafa Allouche, a former vice president of the Future Movement, told The National, “Nothing has changed regarding the reasons [Saad Hariri] stated two years ago concerning his retreat from political activity. Obviously, he will not be back until he may carry out a certain project for Lebanon, which is fully supported by regional and international powers.”
Sources
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2024/02/14/saad-hariri-back-in-lebanon-amid-rumours-of-political-return/
https://m.naharnet.com/stories/en/303373-hariri-marks-feb-14-anniversary-in-mass-rally-in-beirut
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rafiq-al-Hariri