The Lebanese government observing a minute of silence on May 14, 2025, in memory of former minister Adnane Kassar. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — North Lebanon Governor Ramzi Nohra has been removed from his position and reassigned to a yet-to-be-determined role within the Ministry of Interior. Cabinet met on Wednesday at the Presidential Palace in Baabda under President Joseph Aoun and announced the decision at the close of the session.
Nohra had a heated exchange with Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar on Sunday, the day municipal elections were held in northern Lebanon. As Hajjar was addressing the media, Nohra had interjected with his own comments, which Hajjar curtly silenced, saying, "I'm speaking."
Later, Hajjar indicated that an individual “had filed a complaint against the behaviour of the governor of the North, who wanted to defend himself. However, it was inappropriate to do so in front of the media. I asked him to let me exercise my right to reply. No one is above accountability and every official must be held responsible for their actions.”
Information Minister Paul Morcos said Nohra had been assigned to "certain tasks" within the Ministry of the Interior, having been "placed at the disposal" of the Minister of Interior, "in the interest of the administration."
“This is not a dismissal. He will take on other roles,” Morcos said while answering questions during a press conference at the close of the Cabinet session. Reporters had asked whether Nohra's ouster as governor was related to Sunday's events, but Morcos did not directly respond.
On the topic of Nohra's reassignment, Hajjar pointed out that the nomination process requires that a post be vacant. “To appoint a new governor, the old one must be placed at the ministry's disposal,” he said, adding that the nomination process has begun.
According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the North, the secretary of the governorate, Iman al-Rafei, is a top candidate for the role.
Upon Cabinet's announcement, residents of Tripoli took to the streets, celebrating Nohra's removal from the position of governor, handing out desserts to mark the occasion.
Appointment of Kabbani
Cabinet also appointed Mohammed Kabbani as head of the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) during its Wednesday session. The appointment of the three members of the CDR was postponed to a future session.
Kabbani is a Lebanese engineer specializing in the electricity and energy sectors with over 37 years of experience in large multinational companies in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. A former student of the French Protestant College, he studied in the United States, graduating in electrical engineering from George Washington University before obtaining a Master's in the same specialty from Cornell University.
Kabbani is the founder and current CEO of KC Engineering & Industry in Lebanon and Algeria, a Lebanese company specializing in the distribution and transmission of electrical power for industrial, commercial, and residential sectors throughout the Middle East and Africa.
UNIFIL extension and journalists in the NSSF
Cabinet also officially extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which expires on Aug. 31, 2025, and approved a request from the Ministry of Labor to determine the contributions of Lebanese journalists to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
Cabinet approved the request from the Ministry of Education to allow Lebanese students studying abroad, as well as Syrian and other nationality students, to take official exams in 2025 under certain conditions. It also approved the Higher Relief Committee's request to modify the use of the Treasury advance granted under Decree 14056 and to provide housing allowances.
At the beginning of the meeting, President Aoun requested a minute of silence in tribute to former Minister Adnan Kassar. A founder of the Fransabank group, Kassar passed away earlier this month at the age of 94, after a long career in finance, commerce, and politics.