Delegates arrive at the plenary hall to attend the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Feb. 3, 2026. (Credit: Fadel Senna/AFP)
BEIRUT — Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Tuesday that he will not allow Lebanon to be dragged into a new conflict, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA). Hezbollah had recently warned that any attack on Iran, its regional sponsor and backer, would be seen as an attack on the group.
"We will never allow anyone to drag the country into another adventure," Salam said during the World Governments Summit in Dubai, in response to a question about comments made by Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem last week.
Last week, Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem stated that his party would not remain "neutral" in the event of a conflict between Iran and the United States, sparking outrage among his detractors in Lebanon.
Salam said that Hezbollah's decision to open a "support front" for Gaza in the aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023, had "very big" consequences for Lebanon.
Border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah lasted for 13 months before escalating into an all-out war in the fall of 2024 which killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, according to official figures from the Lebanese authorities.
After 66 days of war, a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024. Israel, however, has continued to attack Lebanon on a daily basis, regardless of the truce in place for over a year now, killing more than 350 people in Lebanon since that date, according to data from the Ministry of Health and the U.N.
'Operational control'
Israeli troops still occupy at least five points along the border in southern Lebanon. For its part, the Hezbollah says it is refusing to hand over its arsenal north of the Litani River as long as Israel continues its strikes and occupation of Lebanese territory.
In an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos at the end of January, Salam had already welcomed the fact that the Lebanese state had regained "operational control" south of the Litani River.
"We must protect ourselves by rallying around the state," said Salam. "We have worked to regain the decision on peace and war, and the proof is that, for the first time since 1969 [the year the Cairo Agreement was signed, legalizing the Palestinian presence and armed action in Lebanon], the state, through the army, has imposed total operational control over the south of the country."
Paris Conference
Salam also called on his "Arab brothers" to participate in the international conference in support of the Lebanese Army scheduled for March 5 in Paris. "We need their support," said the Prime Minister.
The international conference in Paris, which will be inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron, is organized by the Quintet (France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States) and aims to strengthen the Lebanese Army in the implementation of the cease-fire agreement and its deployment to southern Lebanon.
Salam also reiterated that "sovereignty and reform are two essential pillars for saving Lebanon, and we want to restore security to the Lebanese people."
"[The restoration of] sovereignty will enable the Lebanese state to extend its authority over its entire territory, and this reform will restore international confidence in Lebanon and its economy. All we ask of our Arab brothers and the world is to support us, not to take our place," he continued.
According to Salam, international aid to Lebanon, and more generally investment, is conditional on the disarmament of Hezbollah and the implementation of structural reforms, following the economic and financial crisis of 2019.
In this context, he believes that "the renewal of the Lebanese administration allows all Arab brothers and expatriates to feel secure, which is an essential factor in encouraging investment."
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met on Tuesday with the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassem al-Budaiwi, on the sidelines of his participation in the World Governments Summit, running from Feb. 3-5 in Dubai.
The two officials discussed preparations for the establishment of an investment forum between Lebanon and the Gulf states, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA). Originally scheduled for summer 2025, the forum has been postponed to 2026, but no date has yet been announced.
Salam also held talks with his Jordanian counterpart, Jaafar Hassan, with whom he discussed regional developments.
Jordan proposed holding a trilateral Syrian-Lebanese-Jordanian meeting in Amman dedicated to energy and electricity issues, an initiative Salam welcomed.
The World Government Summit, which is being held in the UAE's largest city from Feb. 3 to 5, brings together more than 35 heads of state, high-level official delegations, and representatives from more than 150 governments, according to AFP.
It also brings together major international companies and leading institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. Launched in 2013, the summit has become an annual event.
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