Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad ben Abdelrahmane al-Thani and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Baabda, Feb. 4, 2025. Photo taken from the X account of the Lebanese presidency.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Tuesday after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Qatar is waiting for the formation of a new Lebanese government and will support the crisis-hit country, which has been struggling with an economic and financial collapse since 2019 and dealing with the aftermath of the Hezbollah-Israel war. He also pledged assistance for reconstruction.
“We look forward to the completion of Lebanon’s new government formation and the fulfillment of the Lebanese people’s aspirations,” Abdulrahman said from Baabda.
He reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to supporting Lebanon “as it always has, particularly after stability is restored and the country’s constitutional institutions return to normal following the election of the president.”
“After the government is formed, we will discuss ways to support public institutions and launch joint projects between our two countries,” Abdulrahman said. He reiterated Qatar’s readiness to “support Lebanon in various fields as soon as the new government is formed.”
Lebanon elected Aoun as president on Jan. 9, 2025. On Jan. 13, Nawaf Salam, a diplomat and president of the International Court of Justice, was tasked with forming a new government. However, the process has stalled due to demands from traditional political parties, particularly the Hezbollah-Amal alliance, which insists on controlling the Finance Ministry. This has led other parties, including the Lebanese Forces, to push for key ministerial portfolios as well.
Qatar to assist in Lebanon’s reconstruction
“My visit to Beirut today is a visit of support from the State of Qatar to Lebanon,” Abdulrahman said from Baabda. “Qatar will be involved in Lebanon’s reconstruction efforts.”
Qatar is part of the five-nation group — along with the United States, France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt — that worked to resolve Lebanon’s institutional crisis during the more than two-year presidential vacuum before Aoun’s election. Abdulrahman also reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to supporting the Lebanese army, which Doha has been assisting with fuel subsidies and salary funding, in addition to being a financial backer of the Lebanese state.
“Qatar has always stood by Lebanon, supporting the Lebanese people during difficult times,” Aoun said. “We look forward to the return of our Qatari brothers to Lebanon.”
He also expressed appreciation for Qatar’s role in supporting Lebanon’s economy, particularly in the oil and gas sectors, and said he looked forward to the resumption of exploration work soon in partnership with TotalEnergies.
On Jan. 17, President Aoun discussed offshore hydrocarbon exploration with French President Emmanuel Macron at Baabda Palace during Macron’s one-day visit to Lebanon. Aoun urged Macron to “encourage” TotalEnergies to “resume” exploration operations in Lebanon’s offshore petroleum blocks. Drilling in Block 9, long delayed due to a maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel, was conducted in 2023 after an agreement was reached in October 2022 to settle the dispute.
Qatar denounces Israeli violations
The Qatari prime minister also condemned “Israeli violations of the cease-fire agreement and Israeli intrusions into Lebanese airspace.”
“We emphasize the need to implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 so that Lebanon can regain its sovereignty,” he added.
Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel began on Oct. 8, 2023, following Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel the previous day, which triggered the war in Gaza. A cease-fire agreement was reached on Nov. 27, 2024, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government delayed the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon until Feb. 18, citing slow deployment of the Lebanese Army in the region.
Upon his arrival in Beirut on Tuesday afternoon, Abdulrahman was received at Rafik Hariri International Airport by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati before heading to Baabda. After meeting with Aoun, he traveled to Ain al-Tineh, where he was received by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Berri thanked Abdulrahman for Qatar’s “steadfast support” for Lebanon and informed him of Israeli violations of the cease-fire agreement and Resolution 1701, as well as “the systematic destruction of border villages with occupied Palestine, turning them into scorched earth,” according to the National News Agency. The term “scorched earth” refers to a military strategy or policy of systematically destroying territory to make it uninhabitable or unusable.
Berri also denounced “Israel’s refusal to implement the cease-fire agreement and to allow the committee tasked with monitoring compliance to function.”
The Qatari prime minister later met with Mikati before visiting Salam at his residence in Koraytem. Abdulrahman invited Salam to Doha and reiterated Qatar’s willingness to “continue supporting Lebanon in various fields.” Salam thanked him for his visit and support, expressing optimism about a “warming of relations with Arab brothers, which will have positive effects on reconstruction and investment” in Lebanon.
Ten days ago, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya visited Beirut, following a visit by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, marking a thaw in relations after years of strained ties.
In October 2021, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait recalled their diplomats from Lebanon after controversial remarks by former Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi regarding Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. At the time, Qatar, which maintains cordial relations with Tehran, condemned Kordahi’s comments as “irresponsible” but did not sever diplomatic ties with Lebanon.