Salam demands action amid rising tensions

BEIRUT — Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday urged Lebanese people to "stay away from discord and prioritize the nation’s interest," according to a statement posted on his X account.

"In light of today’s events, which have taken on a sectarian character that the Lebanese people reject, I call on all Lebanese to stay away from discord and prioritize the nation’s highest interest above all else," said Salam.

في ضوء ما شاهدنا اليوم من احداث متفرقة أخذت طابعاً مذهبياً يرفضه الشعب اللبناني، أناشد جميع اللبنانيين الابتعاد عن الفتنة وتغليب المصلحة الوطنية العليا على اي اعتبار آخر. وقد تواصلت مع الوزراء المعنيين وقادة الأجهزة الأمنية لإتخاذ كافة الإجراءات اللازمة للحفاظ على امن المواطنين…

— Nawaf Salam نواف سلام (@nawafasalam) July 16, 2025

He said he had contacted the relevant ministers and the heads of security agencies so that "all necessary measures are taken to preserve the security of citizens in the different regions of Lebanon," and to show "firmness in the face of any incident or attempt that might threaten stability."

His statements come as a number of isolated incidents have been reported in Lebanon, linked to ongoing clashes in Sweida, in southern Syria.

In the village of Marj in the Bekaa, an altercation occurred between several youths and a man wearing traditional Druze dress, our correspondent in the region reported.

Also in the Bekaa, Druze youths held a sit-in on the Dahr al-Baidar road, near the Falougha turn, to protest recent events in Syria’s Sweida region, our correspondent also reported. 

In northern Lebanon, dozens of young people gathered at al-Nour Square in Tripoli, waving Syrian flags, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

In the predominantly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria, more than 300 people have been killed since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Violence broke out between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, prompting government forces to intervene in support of the tribes and deploy in the city.

In the aftermath, former Lebanese minister Wi’am Wahhab, head of the Druze Tawhid Party, announced Tuesday the creation of a new armed group called the "Tawhid Army," calling for "armed resistance."