Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Baabda, Jan. 29, 2025. Photo taken from the X account of the Presidency of the Republic.
BEIRUT — Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Sunday praised the army for foiling preparations for a rocket attack from southern Lebanon toward Israel and reiterated that only the Lebanese state has the authority to decide on war and peace and possess weapons.
“The Lebanese state is the only master of the decision of war and peace, and the only party authorized to possess weapons,” Salam said in a statement.
Earlier Sunday, the Lebanese Army announced that it had thwarted a new rocket-firing operation and arrested several suspects in the Saida region. The move was part of an ongoing investigation into rocket launches on March 22 and March 28 that were never claimed and were intercepted by Israeli defenses. Those earlier incidents prompted deadly Israeli retaliations.
Salam commended the army, particularly its intelligence directorate, for its “professional work” in conducting a “preventive operation” that led to the arrests. He also praised “all security services who do their duty to maintain order and stability throughout the territory” and called on them to continue efforts to “prevent any sabotage operation.”
Sovereignty and security
“The work carried out by the army and other security services confirms that the government continues to implement what is stated in its ministerial declaration — namely, extending its sovereignty over the entire territory through its own forces,” Salam added.
His comments come just days after Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, Naim Qassem, said the party “will not allow anyone to disarm it,” though he expressed openness to dialogue on a “comprehensive defense strategy.”
Hezbollah has been engaged in cross-border attacks against Israeli positions since October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas’ deadly assault on Israel triggered a devastating war in Gaza. Hezbollah opened what it called a “support front” along Lebanon’s southern border in solidarity with the Palestinian movement.
The confrontation intensified between September and November 2024, with more than 4,000 civilians killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon and entire villages reduced to rubble.
