Lebanon Protesters Celebrate Prime Minister Saad Hariri Resignation

Celebrations Erupt in Beirut and Across Lebanon Following Hariri’s Resignation

Cries of celebration went up across Lebanon as protesters demanding the fall of the government reacted to Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s resignation, according to reporting by Al Jazeera. For demonstrators in the capital and beyond, the news offered an important boost during a protest movement spanning nearly two weeks. Citizens poured onto streets and blocked major roads to call for the resignation of the government and accountability for decades of corruption.

Pierre Mouzannar, a 21-year-old filmmaker in central Beirut, described the development as an initial victory. Pierre Mouzannar told Al Jazeera that it was a good first step but they were still going to stay in the streets, adding that Hariri was part of the problem but he wasn’t all of the problem and he didn’t think anyone thought they were done.

Clashes Precede the Resignation Address

The announcement of Hariri’s televised address followed a day of street brawls instigated by supporters of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement party. Hundreds of men, mostly wearing black, beat protesters and destroyed encampments in central Beirut before security forces intervened with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Pierre Mouzannar stated while sitting next to a tent being reconstructed by protesters that Hariri wasn’t the one who was sending his people to beat them up and destroy what they had, noting that those people were still in Parliament and they needed to finish what they had started there.

On a nearby road leading to Riad al-Solh square, Saba, a 21-year-old event planner painting Lebanese flags on the faces of passersby, noted that the resignation was overdue. Saba stated that step two was to get back the money politicians had stolen from them, adding that then they would hold everyone accountable and that God was on their side.

National Demonstrations and Calls for Independent Experts

Outside Beirut, thousands took to the streets in northern Tripoli—a former stronghold of Hariri’s Future Movement—to celebrate the news. Hundreds more gathered in Jal al-Dib, Zouk Mosbeh, Jbeil, Nabatieh, and Tyre. As evening fell in Riad al-Solh, crowds stood together for the national anthem, hugging and marking what Nabil, a 30-year-old engineer, called the biggest achievement for his generation, winning in a clash of this level with their politicians.

Protesters from across sectarian and political divides have demanded a government of independent experts free from the ruling class to guide the country through a worsening economic crisis. Rafeef, a 21-year-old law student, voiced a common demand, stating that they didn’t want any part of the ruling class to be part of that government and that the most important thing was to get rid of them all and form a new electoral law that abolished sectarianism and had Lebanon as one district.

Economic Pressures and Political Uncertainty Ahead

Forming a new cabinet may prove challenging. Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, described a cabinet of independent experts as a rosy idea, noting that the most likely outcome is a government structured ala Libanainse, where independent figures are added to satisfy the public while the old modus operandi remains. However, Nader acknowledged that Hariri opened the door to potential solutions by breaking a total deadlock.

According to Nader, Lebanon faces severe financial pressures as one of the world’s most highly indebted nations, with public debt exceeding 150 percent of GDP. Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh stated that the country requires a resolution within days to avoid a financial collapse.

Sami Nader, Director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, stated that the only real way forward for Lebanon was to appoint a government that could move on from the disruption of that revolution and restore the confidence with the people and the international community.

While political players including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, and Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Joumblatt called for calm and dialogue, formal government formation consultations between Parliament and the president remain unclear, with Hariri viewed as a likely candidate to head the new government again. In Riad al-Solh, Rafeef affirmed that demonstrators remained resolved, noting that they had nothing to lose at that point and declaring that if they wanted to kill them in the squares, let them do it, but they wouldn’t budge until their demands were met.