BEIRUT: Dressed in a sleek dark blue suit matched with a black tie, the young leader braved the eager crowd Saturday and took to the stage to deliver a much anticipated speech to mark 10 years since the assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. While it was obvious that his allies and supporters had missed the presence of Future Movement leader Saad Hariri among them in Beirut, he too had deeply missed them and was not afraid to express it. 

“Honestly, nothing compares to being here with you. It’s great to be in Beirut, which Rafik Hariri loved so deeply,” the former prime minister said.

Hariri’s last visit to Lebanon was in August following deadly clashes between the Lebanese Army and Islamist militants in the northeast town of Arsal. He has been living in self-imposed exile between France and Saudi Arabia since January 2011 over security concerns.

It took the former premier, who made a surprise return to Beirut Friday at midnight, a little bit more than 10 minutes to shake hands and sometimes hug and kiss a long line of politicians, diplomats, religious figures, relatives and supporters.

As comfortable as ever, joking with the audience, and often drinking from a bottle of water, Hariri delivered a 40-minute-speech. “I hope they [organizers] don’t yell at me for pausing to drink,” he quipped. 

The speech, interrupted several times by jubilant partisans, ranged from the legacy of Rafik Hariri to hot political topics such as dialogue with Hezbollah, the presidential deadlock and the rising threat of terrorism.

Hardly believing that their leader was physically present with them to mark such an emotional event as the assassination of Rafik Hariri, unlike the previous three years where he was abroad, Future Movement supporters jostled to greet the young Hariri, with some bursting into tears.

“Abu Bahaa!” chanted the crowds, in reference to the late premier, while others shouted: 

“We sacrifice our soul and blood for you Saad.”

The audience included some of Saad Hariri’s rivals, such as Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, MP Alain Aoun from Free Patriotic Movement Michel Aoun’s bloc and MP Abdel-Latif Zein, who attended on behalf of Speaker Nabih Berri.

After the touching welcome, Hariri took a seat in the front line, with Prime Minister Tammam Salam to his right and former President Michel Sleiman to his left.

Taking part in the event were supporters of the Future Movement from various Lebanese regions.

Despite the rainy weather, Mohammad Hajj Hussein chose to travel from the Koura village of Didde to Beirut to take part in an event which meant a lot to him.

“I came today to mark the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri ... this is an event which [has meaning] to all the Lebanese,” Hajj Hussein told The Daily Star.

Sabah Lahham Soubra, a Beiruti, said she wanted “to see those who had the audacity to kill Rafik Hariri brought to justice before I die.”

She urged the The Hague-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is trying Rafik Hariri’s suspected killers to speed up the trials and reveal the truth of the crime.

“It is dragging on. We are irritated. When Rafik Hariri was killed, I took to the the streets for one month, demanding the establishment of the international tribunal,” Soubra said. “Had there been real justice, we wouldn’t have been waiting for 10 years to know who killed him ... All of Lebanon died with Rafik Hariri; they killed Lebanon.”

Soubra said she had conflicting feelings after hearing about Saad Hariri’s return. “As much as I am relieved that the son of Rafik Hariri is here, I am concerned [just as much] over his security because we cannot endure further blows.”

The ceremony also featured several musical performances including one by Lebanese soprano Tania Kassis, who sang a rendition of the Lebanese national anthem.

Arab and international figures, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, paid tribute to Rafik Hariri’s achievements in recorded videos.

Three of the estimated 35,000 students who got scholarships from the Hariri Foundation also paid tribute to the assassinated prime minister in separate speeches.

Describing how much he missed his late father, Hariri could not hide his emotions at the end of his address. “Not a minute, an hour, a day passes, without me remembering, missing and asking: Where is he? Why? And what to do?” Hariri asked, struggling to fight back tears.