At opening of Qatar Charity office, Salam condemns Israeli strike on Qatar as violation of sovereignty and international law

BEIRUT — Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday condemned Israel’s Sept. 9 strikes on Qatari soil that killed Hamas leaders and a Qatari security officer, calling the attack a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Qatar Charity Association’s Beirut office, Salam said Lebanon stood firmly with Doha and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to peace and international legitimacy.

“Lebanon, which has long been a victim of Israeli aggression against its territory and people, reiterates its strongest condemnation of this assault, which blatantly violates Qatar’s sovereignty and international law,” he said. “What happened did not only target Qatar, but all Arab and Islamic nations. But it affects all out Arab and Islamic countries and poses a direct threat to security and stability in the region.”

“That is why our presence today alongside Qatar in Beirut is not simply an act of solidarity, but an affirmation of our shared destiny and our rejection of the law of the strongest and of the law of the jungle,” he added.

Salam’s remarks followed similar statements by President Joseph Aoun at Monday’s Arab-Islamic summit in Doha, where he said Lebanon stated it was ready for peace in line with the Arab Peace Initiative.

The prime minister said Beirut welcomed the summit’s outcome, which he described as a collective framework against Israeli threats. “These decisions represent a fundamental step toward unifying Arab and Islamic ranks, a cornerstone of our common stance against the policies of aggression, occupation and displacement the Palestinian people continue to endure, and an attempt to reestablish the path toward a just and comprehensive peace based on the Arab Peace Initiative endorsed by the Beirut Summit and built on international law and United Nations resolutions,” he said.

Salam also praised ties with Doha, calling the new association an opportunity for “a strategic partnership to support Lebanon.”

The ceremony was attended by Qatar’s ambassador to Lebanon, Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, and the chairman of Qatar Charity’s board, Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani, alongside Lebanese ministers and members of parliament.

'Improving living conditions for Lebanese people'

“The State of Qatar has always stood by its Lebanese brothers,” the Qatari ambassador said. “This ceremony reflects the spirit of generosity and solidarity that characterizes the fraternal relations between the two countries. It also expresses the humanitarian goal of the Qatar Charity Association, which works to improve the living conditions of the Lebanese and refugees and supports the efforts of the Lebanese government amid the current crisis.”

The Qatar Charity Association has operated in Lebanon since the 1990s, with projects spanning health, education, housing and economic empowerment. Its president, Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani, said more than 483,000 people had benefited so far.

“We hope our new office will serve as a starting point for implementing ambitious plans, aligned with Lebanon's national development priorities and carried out in coordination with the competent government authorities, to ensure complementarity of efforts and achieve a sustainable impact,” the association's president added.

The new Beirut office, he added, would oversee more than 70 development and aid projects targeting nearly 400,000 Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian beneficiaries.