Lebanon is removing Hezbollah flags and posters amid rising calls for disarmament
Posters lining roads now proclaim ‘A New Era for Lebanon,’ instead of showing faces of Hezbollah, Iranian leaders, offering hope the state may finally rein in Shiite terror group
Nurit Yohanan is The Times of Israel's Palestinian and Arab world correspondent
In recent days, the Lebanese Army has taken down dozens of banners bearing the images of Hezbollah leaders and Iranian figures in Beirut, replacing many of them with posters extoling a “new era” for the war-battered country.
Footage circulating on social media shows uniformed soldiers stripping away Hezbollah flags and banners from various parts of the capital, including posters of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israel last year.
In the most prominent instances, along the main road leading to Beirut’s international airport, large billboards featuring Nasrallah and former Hezbollah Military Council Secretary Hashem Safi al-Din – some bearing the slogan “We will continue to strike,” a reference to the hostilities with Israel – have been replaced with new messages reading “A New Era for Lebanon.”
A similar change was made to a billboard that had for the past two years displayed the image of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Quds Force, who was killed in a 2020 US strike. That sign, too, was replaced with a banner proclaiming a new era.
The Lebanese government has not released an official statement directly addressing the removal of Hezbollah symbols. Nonetheless, Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed reported that the orders came from Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar. Additionally, on Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced the commencement of a project to “rehabilitate the road connecting Beirut’s airport to the city center.”
The removal of Hezbollah banners and symbols from Beirut’s streets has sparked widespread debate across Lebanon. One Lebanese citizen told Saudi news channel Al-Hadath, “The road to the airport is the face of the nation. Foreigners see it too. It’s most important that people arriving from the airport see the beautiful face of the country.”
Lebanese journalist Tarek Abu Zaynab noted he saw the newly installed signs while traveling to the airport and commented on X: “This is a clear sign that Lebanon is embarking on a new path, with a united vision.”
While some reactions have been positive, others have been defiant. On April 13, footage posted online showed several of the new signs being set on fire, reportedly by Hezbollah supporters opposed to the symbolic changes.
It was not immediately clear if the project had spread to other areas like Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district, Hezbollah’s stronghold in the Lebanese capital, where the terror group had its headquarters and which was festooned with posters and flags extolling the group and its leaders.
‘2025 – the Year Weapons Belong Solely to the State’
The highly visible campaign comes amid increasingly assertive declarations from Lebanese officials calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed. Despite being severely weakened by Israeli strikes during the conflict, the US and Israel estimate that Hezbollah still possesses tens of thousands of armed fighters in Lebanon. It remains the most potent military force in Lebanon, outmatching even the official Lebanese Armed Forces.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated in an interview this week with the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that he is working toward ensuring that “2025 will be the year in which the Lebanese state alone holds weapons.” He emphasized that Hezbollah must be disarmed and warned against allowing the group to be absorbed into the national army as a “militia within the military.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed similar sentiments in a recent interview with Saudi media Al Arabiya, declaring that the oft-repeated Lebanese slogan, “The People, The Army, and The Resistance” – a reference to Hezbollah – is “a thing of the past.” He insisted that only the state would decide on matters of war and peace and be the sole bearer of arms. Both leaders were appointed in recent months, appointments that Hezbollah strongly opposed due to their known opposition to the group’s military role. President Aoun previously served for eight years as the Chief of Staff of the Lebanese Armed Forces, a role often viewed internationally as the institutional counterweight to Hezbollah.
Despite the growing pressure, Hezbollah still retains influence through its political allies. Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, who leads the Shiite Amal Movement – closely aligned with Hezbollah – has not publicly addressed the disarmament issue. However, Lebanese media reports suggest that Berri will lead upcoming dialogue efforts with Hezbollah regarding its weapons arsenal.
Meanwhile, according to Lebanese news outlets, the Lebanese Army has already begun dismantling Hezbollah weapons depots and military infrastructure south of the Litani River. In this area, Hezbollah activity is restricted under the ceasefire agreement with Israel. Moreover, in January, it was reported that the Lebanese Army took control of a former underground Hezbollah site believed to have housed missiles.
Additionally, on Tuesday, Al-Hadath reported that approximately 400 Hezbollah field commanders and their families have recently fled Lebanon for South America, reportedly out of fear of surveillance and potential reprisals.
#Lebanon: The Beirut City Council has begun removing #Hezbollah flags, Amal movement flags, and posters that were displayed in public areas in Beirut. pic.twitter.com/tf50ERfL3d
— Dr. Fundji Benedict (@Fundji3) April 15, 2025
Washington increases pressure on Beirut
Amid the internal momentum in Lebanon toward challenging Hezbollah’s armed status, external pressure, particularly from the United States, has been mounting. Deputy US Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus has made two visits to Lebanon in recent months. During those visits, she delivered some of the strongest American language yet against Hezbollah.
In interviews with Lebanese media outlets during her visits, Ortagus described Hezbollah as “a cancer,” stating, “When you have cancer, you have to cut out the infected parts of the body.” Following her visit, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister told the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that US officials had made it clear to Lebanese leadership: no international aid would be forthcoming unless the Lebanese state gained complete and exclusive control over all weapons within its borders.
Hezbollah’s future: Complex realities on the ground
Despite the pressure, significant uncertainty remains about whether Hezbollah will truly be disarmed.
The organization has been deeply embedded in Lebanese society for over four decades, garnering strong support from a significant portion of the country’s Shia population. Beyond its military capabilities, Hezbollah operates an extensive social infrastructure, including schools, health clinics, and a financial network known as “Hezbollah’s bank,” which has helped solidify its influence among communities across Lebanon.
Politically, Hezbollah still maintains leverage. In addition to having close ties with Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, the group and its allies continue to hold positions in the Lebanese government. Although the number of Hezbollah-aligned ministers has decreased compared to the previous cabinet, they still comprise roughly one-fifth of the current government, allowing them to try and maintain a foothold in policymaking and resist sweeping reforms.
In addition, despite strong rhetoric from both Lebanese and international figures regarding the need to disarm Hezbollah, the Lebanese leadership continues to emphasize that any such process must be conducted through dialogue, out of concern that a more forceful approach could plunge the country into another civil war.
In an interview on April 16 with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Aoun underscored this concern, stating that he has no interest in “blowing up the situation or triggering internal conflict.” His comments reflect a widespread fear in Lebanon of reigniting sectarian violence, following two devastating civil wars in recent decades that left deep scars on the country.
The emphasis on dialogue reflects both a strategic calculation and a sobering acknowledgment of Lebanon’s fragile internal dynamics. While many in the political elite now publicly support reining in Hezbollah’s armed presence, few believe it can – or should- be done by force.
The road ahead for Lebanon remains uncertain. While signs of change are emerging – from symbolic gestures in Beirut to bold declarations from national and international leaders – the challenge of untangling Hezbollah’s deep-rooted presence in the country’s political and social fabric may prove far more difficult than removing its flags from the streets.
The Times of Israel Community.