The Lebanese Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, during an interview given on March 8 to L'Orient-Le Jour. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L’Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — In an interview with Saudi al-Hadath channel Sunday evening, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addressed the consequences of the war in Lebanon, Hezbollah's responsibility in it and President Joseph Aoun's initiative for direct negotiations with Israel to end the war.
“The war was imposed on us,” Salam said. “Each of the six rockets fired by Hezbollah” on March 2 at dawn, marking the start of the war, "has cost the displacement of 10,000 people," he added, referencing the internal displacement in the initial days.
Salam added that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) are commanding Hezbollah's operations. Referring to the incident in which an Iran-made drone hit a British base in Cyprus earlier this month, Salam said "that was the Revolutionary Guard, which is present and, unfortunately, is managing the military operation in Lebanon".
"These people have forged passports and entered the country illegally," he added.
An Iranian-made drone hit a British base in Cyprus earlier this month, with Nicosia saying the drone was probably fired by Tehran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, and not from Iran itself.
Salam referred to the IRGC announcing joint operations with Hezbollah against Israel as proof of their commanding of the war in Lebanon.
The Lebanese government decided this month to ban any activity by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the country.
'The war of others on our soil'
Through the interview, the prime minister was highly critical of Hezbollah.
He specifically rejected Hezbollah's pretext argument that Israel would have attacked Lebanon even without rocket fire. "Is it our role to provoke it [Israel] or to avenge the death of Ali Khamenei? That is not the role of the Lebanese. This war is by definition the war of others on our soil," he insisted.
On March 2 — the same day the war started — the Lebanese government decided to declare Hezbollah's military and security operations as illegal. But so far, the army has not intervened to stop Hezbollah's military operations in southern Lebanon, currently being bombarded by the Israeli army.
"I am not calling for a confrontation with Hezbollah. On the contrary, I want to avoid such a confrontation, but I do not accept yielding to Hezbollah’s blackmail, and I ask it to respect government decisions," he insisted.
Reaffirming the legitimacy of his government, which "has won the confidence of Parliament twice, and with Hezbollah’s vote," Salam repeated more than once that "no state can survive if there are multiple centers of decision-making and two armies."
"The state is the only guarantor for all Lebanese." And he added: "The monopoly of arms in the hands of the state is ever more urgent given the price paid since this new support front opened." Moreover, over 1,000 people have been killed by Israel since the start of the war. Additionally, Israeli strikes have ravaged several areas across Lebanon, and Israeli troops are advancing into Lebanese territory, stocking worries of occupation.
Responding to criticism over the pace of implementing governmental decisions, Salam said: “I would have liked to move faster, but we have inherited many years of inaction,” adding that authorities had begun arresting Hezbollah members found with illegal weapons.
Direct negotiations with Israel 'still on the table'
Asked about the prospect of direct negotiations with Israel to end the ongoing war, Salam said the proposal "remains on the table from our side," while acknowledging significant obstacles.
The initiative, led by Aoun at the outset of the war with Salam’s backing, has faced Israeli reluctance, lukewarm U.S. support, and outright rejection from Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the Amal Movement, has so far declined to nominate a Shiite representative to join a potential Lebanese negotiating delegation.
Salam said any delegation "must bring together all parties," adding: "Our demands are clear: a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the return of our detainees held in Israeli prisons." The detainees were captures by Israel both during the 2024 war and following the signing of the cease-fire agreement.
Displaced crisis: 'Those who criticize us are fleeing their own responsibilities'
Addressing the forced displacement of more than 1.1 million people from areas under Israeli bombardment, Salam rejected accusations of government negligence.
"The population displacements are catastrophic; we have set up 644 reception centers throughout the country," he noted.
"We are not shirking our responsibilities, and those who accuse us of doing so are actually trying to flee their own responsibilities in triggering this war," he asserted, in a clear reference to Hezbollah.
Hezbollah network in Kuwait and the Emirates
Salam also commented on the arrest this week in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates of networks allegedly linked to Hezbollah, which authorities there said were planning destabilizing operations. These two countries are among the Gulf states regularly attacked by Iran since the war was initiated by Israel and U.S.
"I contacted Kuwaiti and Emirati authorities to assure them that we will do our utmost to help dismantle these networks operating in their countries," he said, reiterating Lebanon’s condemnation of attacks attributed to Iran in the Gulf.
"Ending this conflict in Lebanon is our top priority, and we are deploying every necessary diplomatic effort, including our proposal for direct negotiations," Salam said.
He denied reports of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle, including any move to replace Hezbollah or Amal ministers.
Asked whether he has any fears of being attacked, Salam said, "I am not afraid for my life, and my conscience is clear."
