Lebanon Marks May 25 Liberation Day as Israeli Strikes Displace Southern Villages

Lebanon marked Resistance and Liberation Day on May 25, commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 after a 22-year occupation, while the anniversary unfolded amid continued Israeli strikes and fresh displacement in the country’s south.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for solidarity rather than celebration, saying, “Let us make this year’s occasion of Resistance and Liberation Day a day of solidarity with the families of the martyrs.”

Al Jazeera

President Joseph Aoun said the 2000 liberation was achieved through the “sacrifices and steadfastness of the people of the south,” and he described May 25 as “a day of comprehensive national dignity.”

Arab News reported that residents of 10 villages in the south were ordered to evacuate on Monday amid ongoing bombardment, and it cited the Lebanese Health Ministry saying Israeli airstrikes on Sunday killed at least 18 people and injured 21 others.

The same day’s framing also appeared in TRT World’s account of Aoun’s statement carried by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA), where he said securing a full Israeli withdrawal remains a national priority and negotiations are “a steadfast national demand.”

Salam’s remarks set the tone for the holiday’s public posture, as he said, “As for the holiday, we will not celebrate it until the day of Israel’s complete withdrawal from our land.”

Arab News reported that Aoun said this year’s anniversary came as Lebanese villages in the south continued to face Israeli attacks and what he described as a renewed occupation in violation of international resolutions, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

Al Jazeera

EFE described a Hezbollah-organized event in the southern suburbs of Beirut where Maysaa Alaeddine recalled hardships “from the moment Israel arrived,” and she said, “We never felt safe or tranquil until the Resistance appeared.”

EFE also said Hezbollah faces a renewed Israeli presence in at least 68 southern Lebanese villages and that the villages are “also the target of daily bombings despite the April ceasefire agreement between the two countries.”

In a separate account of the same day, TRT World said Israeli military operations continued in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 and was later extended into early July, and it cited Lebanese officials’ figures of more than 3,100 killed and around 1.6 million displaced since March 2.

As Liberation Day coincided with renewed hostilities, the sources tied the holiday to an ongoing political and security fight over withdrawal and negotiations, with Aoun insisting that talks “will not be an act of concession or surrender.”

TRT World reported that Beirut and Tel Aviv held three rounds of direct talks mediated by the United States since mid-April to establish a lasting peace arrangement, while Israeli military operations continued in southern Lebanon despite the April 17 ceasefire being extended into early July.

In parallel, Arab News said the remarks came as hostilities continued across Lebanon and it cited a death toll from the conflict to 3,151, alongside the Lebanese Health Ministry’s Sunday figures of 18 killed and 21 injured.

EFE added that Alaeddine criticized attempts to disarm Hezbollah and said she does not trust the state to defend Lebanon because she accuses it of being sold to the United States, which she described as the promoter of ongoing talks with Israel.

Against that backdrop, the sources portrayed the anniversary as a test of whether the “path to a complete Israeli withdrawal” can be secured, with TRT World stating that Aoun said the Lebanese state is working to achieve it through negotiations and with Arab News reporting that officials said the anniversary could not be fully celebrated while parts of Lebanese territory remain under attack.