Honoring Rafic Hariri: 21 years since Lebanon’s tragic loss (Photos, video)

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Lebanon 14-02-2026 | 12:55

Honoring Rafic Hariri: 21 years since Lebanon’s tragic loss (Photos, video)

Crowds brave rain from Beirut to Baalbek to honor the late Prime Minister, calling for unity, sovereignty, and Saad Hariri’s political return.
Annahar
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Honoring Rafic Hariri: 21 years since Lebanon’s tragic loss (Photos, video)
Supporters of the "Future Movement" head to Beirut to commemorate the assassination of late PM Rafic Hariri (Lina Ismail)
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Lebanon commemorates today the 21st anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, amidst a highly sensitive Lebanese and regional moment, under unprecedented transformations.

 

While the Lebanese in general, and the supporters of the "Future Movement" in particular, anticipate the content of the speech that former Prime Minister Saad Hariri will deliver at noon from in front of his father's tomb, politicians and citizens from various regions have gathered to commemorate the anniversary, in a scene that embodies the symbolism and national significance of the occasion.

Photo by colleague Houssam Shbaro from central Beirut

 

 

In this context, the Minister of Social Affairs, Hanine Al-Sayyed, visited Hariri's tomb representing the Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

 

 

Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmed Hajjar, and the UAE Ambassador Salem Fahad Al-Kaabi, also visited the tomb.

 

 

Hajjar wrote on "X": "On the anniversary of the martyrdom of President Rafic Hariri, we recall the journey of a man who believed in Lebanon as a homeland for knowledge, construction, and hope. His martyrdom was a pivotal moment in the country's history, and his national journey remains present in the Lebanese consciousness, bearing a developmental vision and determination to build the state. Mercy to his soul and his fellow martyrs."

 


 

A delegation from the "Lebanese Forces" and the "Strong Republic" bloc also visited the slain president's tomb.

 

 

The delegation included former Deputy Prime Minister MP Ghassan Hasbani, former minister May Chidiac, former minister Joe Sarkis, and MP Elie Khoury.

 

 

 

Hasbani pointed out that "February 14th is a national collective occasion to recall the cause for which President Rafic Hariri was martyred, a cause of a free, sovereign, and independent state that unites all its sons," emphasizing that this occasion is to renew the commitment to the project of a strong state and legitimate institutions.

 

 

 

Among those present at the tomb were Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Rudakov, Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, a delegation from the Progressive Socialist Party, U.S. diplomat Michel Issa, and a delegation from the army leadership.

 

 

In this context, MP Nadim Gemayel said in front of the tomb: "Through this national stand, we affirm that the illegal weapons that led to the assassination of Rafic Hariri must now be put to an end and removed, and we emphasize that the Lebanese state’s weapons should be the only ones protecting all Lebanese."

He added: "Rafic Hariri’s project was a truly national one, bringing an entire sect and community into the core of the Lebanese state, a state undergoing significant transformations."

 

The scene from Baalbek 

In the Baalbek area, supporters of the "Future Movement" defied stormy weather and heavy rain to move from Baalbek and northern Bekaa to Beirut and take part in commemorating February 14th. The Movement's coordination in Baalbek reported that the number of participants who arrived via public buses alone reached around 4,000 people, in addition to large numbers of citizens who used their private cars to join the crowds in the capital despite the bad weather.

 

 

 

In statements to Annahar, participants unanimously expressed their insistence on the return of former PM Saad Hariri, voicing their strong rejection of his withdrawal from the political scene or leaving Lebanon, and affirming that their primary demand is his continued presence and leadership in the next stage.

The scene from Akkar

 

 

The scene from Tripoli 

 

 

Tags
Saad Hariri ، Rafic Hariri ، Future Movement ، Beirut ، commemorate