The Jaafarite Mufti Ahmad Kabalan. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Jaafarite Mufti Ahmad Kabalan, close to Amal and Hezbollah, urged Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday to visit the southern suburbs of Beirut and see for himself the "price that the suburb, the South and the Bekaa paid for Lebanon," according to the state-run National News Agency.
On Sunday, the Israeli army carried out an airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut for the first time in the past three weeks, raising fears of a new escalation. Following a cease-fire in late November which ended a devastating 13-month conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Israeli airstrikes continued in southern Lebanon on a near daily basis.
The southern suburbs of Beirut, heavily damaged by the conflict, have been targeted three times in 2025 post cease-fire agreement.
"Because it is not possible to differentiate between the South, Beirut and the rest of the Lebanese provinces, and because the people of the south have been the sacrificial offering in Lebanon's long history of struggle, and because coexistence requires joint commitments and shared sacrifices, it is required for ... Salam to conduct a field visit in the southern suburb and see for himself the enormous sovereign price that the suburb, the south and the Bekaa paid for Lebanon as well as the reality of the enormous rubble," Kabalan said in a statement.
“It is necessary to understand the Lebanese necessities well so that international pressures do not turn into a powder keg", he added.
Kabalan said that now is the moment to "confirm national solidarity in the face of Zionist terrorism and strengthen comprehensive national power against the most brutal regional terrorist force supported by Washington."
Since his election as Prime Minister in January, Salam, who is politically opposed to Hezbollah, has repeatedly vowed to ensure the state has a monopoly over weapons. A stance also defended by president Joseph Aoun.
On February 28, Salam visited several parts of South Lebanon that suffered severe damages from the war, including the regions of Sour, Marjeyoun, Khiam and Nabatieh.