Hezbollah supporters have resorted to provocative rallies in several areas in Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the South to "deliver messages" to President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam.
Supporters of the Iran-backed party have since Sunday mobilized motorcycle convoys, with riders raising Hezbollah flags and chanting sectarian slogans, in areas that are opposed to the party.
Hezbollah had constantly employed such methods to deliver security messages whenever Lebanon was in the process of meeting political deadlines, such as the formation of a government as is the case at the moment.
The first fallout from the provocations was United Arab Emirates businessman Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, the head of Dubai conglomerate Al Habtoor Group, announcing on Tuesday that he had cancelled all planned investments in Lebanon due to continuing instability, and would sell all his properties and investments in the country.
Al Habtoor said in a statement that the unrest and instability in Lebanon by "factions loyal to armed militias in the country paint a grim picture."
"The continued dominance of armed militias (the Shiite militias) and the failure to establish rule of law make it impossible for any investor to proceed with confidence in such an environment," he said.
Last week, Al Habtoor had expressed an intention to invest in Lebanon once a new government was formed.
Provocative convoys
The motorcycle convoys had departed from Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold. They headed to several neighborhoods in the capital that are known for their opposition to the party.
The same scenes took place in the Christian town of Maghdouche in the South, leading to a scuffle between the motorists and locals.
On Monday, the locals awoke to Hezbollah slogans spraypainted over their town’s entrance sign.
Similar provocations took place in Christian-majority regions in Mount Lebanon, drawing condemnation from Christian parties and their supporters.
The Lebanese army had announced the arrest of several of the motorists.
In statement, it said that it carried out the arrests after "some citizens, riding on motorcycles, rode around several Lebanese regions while carrying party flags, firing gunshots and chanting provocative slogans."
It added that it deployed patrols to "prevent the undermining of security and stability", calling on the people to "act responsibly to protect national unity and coexistence."
Amal warns against provocations
The Amal movement – a close Hezbollah ally – notably warned its supporters against joining the Hezbollah convoys.
In a statement, it warned them against taking part in "any provocative act that goes against the orders of the movement command, which calls for respecting all Lebanese people regardless of their sect."
It specifically cautioned against "joining motorcycle convoys or carrying out any provocative act and chanting sectarian slogans that violate the movement’s treaty and vision."
Any violators will risk being expelled from the movement, it added.
The provocations were discussed by parliament Speaker and Amal movement leader Nabih Berri and deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab at Ain el-Tineh.
Bou Saab said these convoys "only serve the enemy (Israel). I hope they can be stopped because everyone in Lebanon took in the residents of the South and Dahieh" during Israel’s war on Hezbollah.
He described the convoys as "unacceptable", stressing the need for unity with residents of the South who bore the brunt of the Israeli war.
Unity cannot be achieved through such provocations, he remarked.
No to strife
Hezbollah’s opponents are in agreement in rejecting the rallies, declaring that they will not be dragged to strife and saying that the army will maintain calm.
Lebanese Forces sources said the convoys are clearly aimed at sending messages to the president and PM-designate.
"The state may have opened a new chapter, but one team is still acting arrogantly and refuses to acknowledge these changes. So, it has resorted to delivering messages that say that it represents de facto powers, and it will continue to act this way," they told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Another message aims to impose conditions on the formation of the new government and drafting of its ministerial statement to include the "army, people and resistance (Hezbollah)" term, it went on to say.
Regardless of the provocations, the sources stressed that the LF will not be lured to strife and it will continue to turn to the army to maintain stability, noting its statement and arrest of some of the motorists.
Kataeb Party MP Salim al-Sayegh condemned the convoys, saying: "We will not play Hezbollah’s game no matter the cost."
"We will not be dragged towards terrorist methods they are using against the residents of Beirut and Mount Lebanon," he said in televised remarks. "We are adhering to the state and laws and banking on the army."
"Confronting Israel does not take place in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. They cannot make up for their heavy losses (in the war) by striking ‘victories’ against their fellow countrymen," he added.
MP Michel Mouawad condemned Hezbollah, stressing: "We will always choose partnership while respecting the state, its sovereignty and constitution."
"No matter what, we will not yield to those who believe they can break the will of the Lebanese people through extortion, domineering methods and accusations of treason," he said on the X platform.
Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil – a former Hezbollah ally – condemned the provocations. The residents of the South were "heroic" as they returned to their homes on Sunday, while "sectarian provocations that night only served to tarnish this heroism," he said in a post on the X on Monday.
He added that the sectarian provocations only serve to "deepen the divisions and advocates of this division. Extremism only leads to extremism and Lebanon will be the loser in the end."
