BEIRUT — Lebanon witnessed dozens of public gatherings and rallies on Monday evening celebrating the one-year anniversary of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria, sparking clashes, counter demonstrations and tensions in some areas.

What happened: The most serious incident unfolded in Sidon, a Sunni-majority city in southern Lebanon, where supporters of the new Syrian authorities drove through the streets waving Syrian flags in celebration of Assad’s fall.

According to the state-run National News Agency, tensions flared when the convoy reached the Qanaya roundabout at the entrance to the Sidon suburb of Haret Saida. Local young men confronted the procession, sparking clashes.

A heated exchange quickly escalated into fistfights, beatings with sticks, and volleys of stones. Several vehicles were damaged. While no official casualties were reported, videos circulating online showed several bloodied individuals who appeared to have been injured in the fighting.

إشكال في مدينة صيدا لدى اقتراب المتظاهرين المحتفلين بذكرى سقوط الأسد باتجاه بلدة حارة صيدا… والجيش اللبناني يتدخل pic.twitter.com/KdP4DhllfW

— LebanonFiles (@lebanonfile) December 8, 2025

The Lebanese military quickly contained the situation.

In the town of Kfar Rumman in the Nabatieh district,........

© Al Monitor