The president of Phoenicia Aer Rianta Co. S.A.L. and president of Casa del Habano in Lebanon, Muhammad Hassan Zeidan, exclusive distributor of Cuban cigars in the Middle East, Africa, and part of Europe, sent the following message to the Cuban ambassador:
Embassy of Cuba in Lebanon, represented by His Excellency Ambassador Jorge León
Greetings,
On the ninth anniversary of the death of President and Commander Fidel Castro, I am pleased to share with you these words of remembrance for one of the most renowned fighters and teachers in modern history.
It has been said: “The greatest adventure is to become a human being.”
Many qualities made Commander Castro one of the most famous and influential figures in the world, not only among his own people, but his influence spread across continents.
His wealth did not prevent him from becoming a revolutionary against political injustice. Fidel Castro managed to turn the revolutionary dream into reality, achieving the difficult equation between revolution and the state, and led Cuba from his position at the forefront, opposing capitalism and bringing his unique stamp to the socialist experiment, proving that the error lay in the practice, not in the central idea.
He once told me about Lebanon and its cedars, and then he said: “They say my mother is Spanish, but the truth is that she is originally from Greater Syria, specifically from northern Lebanon.”
Today I address you, wherever you are, and sing: May your legacy shine brightly in the world and may your memory live on.
Beirut, November 26, 2025
With my most sincere love,
Muhammad Hassan Zeidan