Prime Minister Nawaf Salam arriving at Baabda Presidential Palace on Jan. 14, 2025. (Credit: AFP)
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, speaking at the Lebanese consulate in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, criticized the ongoing Israeli occupation of several areas in southern Lebanon, saying it prevents the government from securing the area.
Israel continues to occupy five sites in southern Lebanon, claiming they're "strategic," and violating the cease-fire concluded in November 2024. The cease-fire stipulated a complete Israeli withdrawal from the region, where the Lebanese Army is to be deployed alongside U.N. peace keeping forces, and that the Lebanese troops are to dismantle Hezbollah's infrastructure south of the Litani. The Lebanese Army has announced earlier this month that more than 90 percent of Hezbollah infrastructure in the region has been dismantled. However, the Lebanese Army's expanded deployment there has been hindered by Israel's presence.
According to a statement relayed by the state-run National News Agency, "We are working to reinforce security, with the key objective of restoring and extending the sovereignty of the Lebanese state over all its territory," Salam said in his address. The prime minister is in the UAE for the 2025 Arab Media Summit, where he is engaging with officials from several other Gulf states.
"I reaffirm the Taif Agreement’s stipulation that the state's sovereignty must extend over its entire territory, that arms must be exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese state, and that the state must reclaim its authority over decisions of war and peace."
In Lebanon, despite the Taif Agreement, which provided for the disarmament of all militias after the Civil War (1975-1990), and various international resolutions on the subject, Hezbollah continues to be in possession of an arsenal, although it was heavily impacted by the last war with Israel, between October 2023 and November 2024.
A dialogue is underway between the party and President Joseph Aoun regarding its potential disarmament country-wide and integration into the state's defense apparatus. The discussions were launched after Aoun and Salam's Cabinet committed to the government attaining a monopoly on arms in the country, at the beginning of their mandates, in January and February of this year.
"What is hindering this process," Salam said, "is the ongoing Israeli occupation of points in the South."
Since an ostensible cease-fire began between Hezbollah and Israel on Nov.27, Hezbollah has refrained from attacking Israel except for one instance, despite almost daily Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, and three airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
"The continued Israeli occupation delays the process of extending the state's sovereignty over all its territory with its own resources, as we pledged in our ministerial statement," Salam emphasized.
Salam seeks to 'restore trust' with Lebanese diaspora
Addressing the Lebanese diaspora in the UAE, Salam acknowledged, "I know that most of you came here because the situation in Lebanon has not been normal for years, due to wars and recurring crises."
"However, your presence in the UAE has contributed to supporting Lebanon in recent years," he said.
Salam promised "firm determination to pursue the project of reform and sovereignty," saying that the government’s primary goal is to rebuild the state and restore the confidence of the Lebanese people and investors.
"Today, there is a new opportunity, and I believe most of you are here because you lost trust in the country. Our concern today is to restore your trust and that of all Lebanese. We have one project — rebuilding the state. This starts with financial, administrative, and political reforms. We have already begun to achieve some of these reforms, even though the government has only had the confidence of parliament for three months."
Salam recalled his government's recent achievements, such as amendments to the banking secrecy law, and listed projects underway, such as reforms to the banking sector more broadly, a "financial gap resolution plan," and a project to "strengthen judicial independence."
'You will notice a clear change'
Appealing further to the diaspora, many of whom are expected to visit home over the summer, Salam spoke of a "new mechanism" for administrative appointments "based on transparency, competitiveness, and merit," as part of overall efforts to rebuild the public administration.
Through this mechanism, Salam's government appointed the head of the Council for Development and Reconstruction, a key state body established during the Civil War and responsible for planning and implementing infrastructure and development projects.
"All future appointments will follow this new approach," Salam assured. "We have also launched regulatory authorities for telecommunications and electricity, and we hope to appoint their boards soon."
In mid-April, a project to rehabilitate the road connecting Beirut's international airport to the capital was officially launched as infrastructure along this route, which passes through the southern suburbs, was heavily damaged in recent Israeli offensives against Lebanon. Earlier in April, the Beirut municipality began the removal of political and religious posters from the streets of Beirut, including those on the Airport Road, as part of an initiative aimed at making the Lebanese capital "a city devoid of sectarian and partisan slogans."
"Many of you will be coming to Lebanon in the coming weeks and months, and you will certainly notice a clear change — especially on the road to the airport," Salam said.
Abu Dhabi announced on May 4 the lifting of the travel ban to Lebanon, raising hopes among Lebanese authorities and various sectors for an influx of Emirati — and Gulf tourists in general — during the summer. Since 2021, Emiratis have been prevented from traveling to Lebanon several times, amid a cooling of relations with Gulf monarchies, fueled by Iranian-Saudi tensions and Hezbollah's influence on Lebanese politics. The last such ban was in August 2023, just weeks before the war between Hezbollah and Israel began.