Salam confident about UNIFIL mandate renewal at the end of August

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Monday he was "reassured about the renewal of the mandate for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the end of August." Asked by the newspaper al-Liwa about his outlook for the near future, he said, "Anything is possible and nothing is definitive."

Lebanon is going through a delicate phase in its history following the war between Hezbollah and Israel, which left the party weakened but still resistant to disarmament — a demand of the international community and particularly the United States. The U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, who made several visits to Lebanon recently to push for the establishment of a roadmap leading to disarmament, stated Sunday on X that "the credibility of the Lebanese government rests on its ability" to regain a monopoly on the use of force. "As long as Hezbollah retains its weapons, words are not enough. The government and Hezbollah must fully engage and act now so as not to confine the Lebanese people to a precarious status quo," the American diplomat added.

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Many observers fear that the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate in southern Lebanon will become more difficult given the Lebanese government's delay in fulfilling its commitments regarding the monopoly on weapons. UNIFIL is made up of international contingents and is tasked with maintaining peace in this troubled region. In recent months, some residents of villages dominated by Hezbollah have become aggressive, provoking incidents with peacekeepers in several areas.

During his interview with the newspaper, Salam denied all rumors regarding his recent official trip to France and his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. "I am surprised by the rumors about the supposedly negative outcome of this meeting, when in fact it was positive," he said. "France supports Lebanon, but the level of this support depends on developments that will take place."

According to al-Markaziya, the prime minister met Walid Joumblatt, former head of the Progressive Socialist Party, on Sunday evening away from media coverage. Asked by al-Liwa, he explained that Joumblatt wanted to inquire about the outcomes of his meetings in Paris and the prospects for French support. On Saturday, Joumblatt spoke in favor of handing over Hezbollah's heavy weapons to the state, saying that the group’s leaders must understand that "keeping heavy weapons and missiles is useless" and "will cause problems."

President Salam had informed Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri about the results of his official visit to Paris and his meeting with the French president, "marked by the reaffirmation of France's support for Lebanon in various fields, as well as the commitment to renew UNIFIL's mandate, in order to preserve stability in the south."