Salam says he is 'surprised' by Berri's harsh criticism of the government

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam responded Thursday evening, in a message posted on X, to remarks by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who claimed the government had not bothered to "welcome" residents of southern Lebanon after the end of the war.

"I was very surprised by the statement attributed today to His Excellency Speaker Nabih Berri, according to which the government does not care about our fellow citizens in the south, and did not even welcome them," said the head of government.

The Grand Serail tenant thus defended his record regarding residents of areas affected by 13 months of war between Israel and Hezbollah, as Israeli attacks continue almost daily in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa since the Nov. 27, 2024 cease-fire.

The background:

Berri says government 'did not even greet' south Lebanon residents who returned home

"I must remind, if this statement is confirmed, that the first action I undertook with several of my fellow ministers, less than 48 hours after our government gained confidence, was a field visit to Sour, Khiam and Nabatieh to look into the situation of our compatriots in the south and listen to them," he said, referring to his tour of several areas of South Lebanon last February, shortly after taking office.

"I would also like to remind that, in the absence of any outside support for well-known reasons, and within the state's limited capacity, the Ministry of Social Affairs has provided monthly financial aid to 67,000 families affected by the war, and announced a monthly rent allowance for 10,000 displaced families," he added, alluding to the slowness with which international aid has arrived in Lebanon since the end of the last war, as potential donors condition their support on Hezbollah's disarmament.

Salam also recalled that "the ministries of Telecommunications, Public Works and Energy have started the necessary repairs to restore services in the disaster-stricken areas."

And the Prime Minister went on: "We have tasked the South Council and the Higher Relief Committee to speed up their work and we have transferred the necessary funds. More importantly, our government has secured a $250 million loan from the World Bank for the reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by the war. But the benefit of this loan is still pending the adoption of the corresponding law by Parliament," the statement added in a veiled jab at the legislative chief. "We therefore hope Parliament will quickly resume its legislative work to pass this law and allow our residents in the South, as well as other regions affected by the war, to benefit from it."

"As I have repeatedly stated, reconstruction is not a promise for me, but a commitment," Salam concluded.