Lebanon10 June, 20262 min read
Hundreds Rally in Dahiyeh, Beirut Suburbs, Supporting Iran and Hezbollah Amid Israel Strikes
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Hundreds gathered in Beirut's Dahiyeh, Hezbollah stronghold, in support of Iran and allies. Rally expressed solidarity against Israel and rejected linking Lebanon's war to Iran.
Dahiyeh rally backs Iran
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 said. The rally came as Israel pounded south and east Lebanon daily and still occasionally struck Beirut’s southern suburbs, known locally as Dahiyeh, most recently on Sunday.
AFP correspondents said hundreds of people, including many women and children, were at the rally, with some waving Hezbollah or Iranian flags and others holding images of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and Ali Khamenei. Samar Hammoud, 54, told AFP at the rally, "We are here Dahiyeh in solidarity with the resistance, to send a message that we are steadfast," and the crowd chanted slogans in support of Iran, Hezbollah, Gaza and Yemen.
Hezbollah-linked solidarity message
Al Jazeera described the Dahiyeh crowds as defiant, with Hezbollah supporters rallying to support Iran’s role in standing against Israel and rejecting efforts to separate Lebanon’s war from Iran’s.
In the same Dahiyeh setting, the AFP-linked account quoted Samar Hammoud saying, "Their planes don't frighten us, their weapons don't frighten us. We will stay and struggle and we will be victorious, God willing."
The News24 and Naharnet accounts both tied the rally to an "axis of resistance" grouping, naming Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza as pro-Iran forces opposed to Israel and the US.
The Jerusalem Post framed the broader conflict as centered on Iran’s proxy and Israel’s foe, saying tensions rose after a day of battle between Israel and Iran ended through American coercion, hoisting Hezbollah as a major regional player.
Ceasefire pressure and retaliation
The AFP-linked reports said Tehran insists a halt to the wider Middle East conflict must include a ceasefire in Lebanon, and that it launched missiles at Israel on Sunday in response to Israel bombing Beirut’s southern suburbs earlier that day.
“‘To appease Iran, they are willing to limit Israel in Lebanon.”
They also reported that Iran has warned it will resume attacks on Israel if the latter keeps striking Lebanon, as the rally unfolded in Dahiyeh.
The Jerusalem Post said Hezbollah rocket and drone fire into northern Israel continued and that both sides were essentially violating the ceasefire while trying to control the levels of violence and limiting the scope of attacks to northern Israel and southern Lebanon.
In its analysis, The Jerusalem Post quoted Amatzia Baram, a professor emeritus at the University of Haifa, warning, "To appease Iran, they are willing to limit Israel in Lebanon. Washington wants this even more than the Lebanese government itself. This is a grave mistake."