WASHINGTON — In a region that recently has seen many political changes, Lebanon stands out from the rest as it commemorates the eighth anniversary of the Cedar Revolution in the Capitol.
“This was the first revolution in the Arab world,” said Elie Semaan of the Lebanese Information Center at an event in the Capitol commemorating the anniversary Thursday. “This was truly a revolution where people stood up and said ‘You know, we want our freedom, we want democracy and we want our sovereignty.”
On March 14, 2005, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese marched onto Martyrs Square in Beirut to protest the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the 30 years of Syrian control. Hariri was well respected and seen to many as a pro-Western force who helped steer Lebanon towards freedom and economic success.
After the attack blame was directed at Syria and Hezbollah. A U.N. investigation later found two suspects had ties to Hezbollah and Syria.
Lebanon achieved its goal of forcing Syria out in 2005.
“As much as I think today is a day to celebrate this fight for independence and freedom that the Cedar Revolution represents, I think it is also important to remember what (Hariri) he fought for,” said Rep Daryl Issa, R-Calif., who, said he knew Hariri well.
In 2006, Lebanon and Israel went to war after Hezbollah crossed the international border, killed eight Israeli soldiers and kidnapped two.
A Shiite terrorist organization, Hezbollah, got its start in 1982 during the Lebanese civil war. Hezbollah is responsible for hundreds of Americans deaths and was an early user of suicide bombings as a tactic. Hamas later used the same tool to cause unrest.
“Congress is fully supportive of the Lebanese people and their right to sovereignty free from your fears of Assad and his allies in Iran and their proxy Hezbollah,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa , told guests at the Thursday event.