Resistance and Liberation Day (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

:عيد المقاومة والتحرير, ''eid al-Muqawamat Waltahrir)'' is a Lebanese holiday celebrated on May 25. Hezbollah parade

On May 25, 2000, the

Israeli army The Israeli Ground Forces () are the Army, ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The commander is the GOC Army Headquarters, General Officer Commanding with the rank of major general, the ''Mazi'', subordinate to the Chief of the Gen ...

left territory in

Southern Lebanon Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa districts, the southernmost distr ...

, marking the end of the South Lebanon occupation (1985–2000). The withdrawal came after the continued attack on Israeli military positions in occupied Lebanese territory by Lebanese Resistance forced Israeli militias to withdraw. It is celebrated as an important day in the

history of Lebanon The history of Lebanon covers the history of the modern Republic of Lebanon and the earlier emergence of Greater Lebanon under the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, as well as the previous history of the region, covered by the modern sta ...

. The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

certified that the withdrawal was complete, with troops having left territory demarcated by the Blue Line. After the Israeli withdrawal the

South Lebanon Army The South Lebanon Army or South Lebanese Army (SLA; , ), also known as the Lahad Army () or as the De Facto Forces (DFF), was a Christianity in Lebanon, Christian-dominated militia in Lebanon. It was founded by Lebanese military officer Saad H ...

, a

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

occupying southern Lebanon, collapsed with Hezbollah rapidly advancing and occupying the territory that Israel had withdrawn from. After the Israelis had retreated, Lebanese prime minister

Salim al-Hoss Salim Ahmad al-Huss ('';'' 20 December 1929 – 25 August 2024), also spelled Selim El-Hoss, was a Lebanese politician who served as the prime minister of Lebanon and a longtime Member of Parliament representing his hometown, Beirut. He was kno ...

declared a public holiday on May 25 to commemorate the end of the occupation.

Celebrations

The holiday is celebrated with parades, rallies, ceremonies, political marches, and speeches especially in the south of Lebanon where the people were most effected by the invasion. It is also celebrated by reconstruction projects in the region, for instance, Lebanese politicians commemorated the occasion in 2007 by announcing the rebuilding of the

Zahrani Bridge The Zahrani () is a river in Southern Lebanon. It is located south of Sidon. Zahrani (زهراني) is the adjective form of the noun Zahran (زهران), which means flowering or blossoming in Arabic. This river irrigates most of Jabal Rihane an ...

, a crucial transportation connection devastated in an Israeli bombing in July 2006.

References

Remembrance days Public holidays in Lebanon Israeli–Lebanese conflict May observances {{Lebanon-stub

Celebrations

See also

References