Lebanon PM Nawaf Salam Says Hezbollah Military Activities ‘Illegal’, Signals Openness to Talks as War Deepens
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has said his government considers Hezbollah’s military and security activities illegal and remains open to negotiations aimed at ending the war, even as Israeli strikes continue across Lebanon and hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced.
In remarks published from an interview with the French-language newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour, Salam said Lebanon’s cabinet had formally declared that Hezbollah’s armed operations were unlawful and reaffirmed the state’s long-term objective of placing all weapons under government control.
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| File Photo Via Nawaf Salam |
The Lebanese leader said the government was prepared to resume negotiations under an internationally supervised framework that would address both civilian and security dimensions of the crisis. While he said direct negotiations with Israel had not been formally discussed, he stressed Beirut was open to dialogue on “any agenda, any format, and any location” if it could help end the conflict.
However, Salam insisted that Lebanon would not accept a peace arrangement dictated by Israeli terms.
“No one in Lebanon will accept peace under Israeli conditions,” he said, while reiterating that the country had supported the Arab Peace Initiative for more than two decades, which proposes a regional settlement based on the principle of “land for peace.”
The prime minister acknowledged that the ongoing war had severely disrupted Lebanon’s plans to expand the deployment of its national army in areas previously dominated by Hezbollah, particularly in the south of the country.
Earlier government plans had envisaged a phased strategy to strengthen the state’s authority across Lebanese territory, including the gradual extension of army control. Salam said the current war had made parts of that strategy difficult to implement as originally planned but stressed that the government had not abandoned its objective of consolidating state control.
“We are not seeking a confrontation with Hezbollah,” he said. “But we will not submit to blackmail.”
Salam also emphasised the political reality that Hezbollah remains a major actor within Lebanon’s domestic system. The group has representatives in parliament, a significant popular base and influence across dozens of municipalities.
“If Hezbollah transforms itself into a purely political party and stops military and security activities that can no longer be tolerated, we have no problem with it,” he said.
The Lebanese prime minister acknowledged that the war had already produced a severe humanitarian crisis inside the country. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes as Israeli strikes expanded across southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut.
“We had to prepare for all possibilities,” Salam said, adding that authorities needed several days to update emergency response plans after the war intensified.
He said the government was now working to provide shelter and assistance for displaced civilians and called for national solidarity with those forced to flee.
“These displaced people are victims of those who dragged Lebanon into this war,” he said.
As IndianRepublic.in reported earlier, Lebanon’s government has simultaneously begun coordinating relief operations and stabilising essential supplies as the regional conflict places mounting pressure on the country’s fragile economy and humanitarian infrastructure.
Prime Minister Salam held meetings at the Grand Serail in Beirut with senior officials responsible for disaster management and humanitarian response, including the head of Lebanon’s South Council and the chief of the national Disaster Management Unit. The consultations, attended by finance and social affairs ministers, focused on strengthening coordination among agencies responsible for emergency relief as fighting along the southern front intensifies.
In parallel, Salam also met representatives of the Association of Food Importers, who assured the government that food supplies in Lebanese markets remain stable and that import operations are continuing despite regional disruptions. Officials said authorities would expedite port procedures and logistics to ensure that essential commodities continue to flow into the country without interruption.
The government has also begun preparing emergency shelter infrastructure across Lebanon as displacement pressures rise. Schools, sports facilities and other public buildings have been placed on standby to accommodate civilians fleeing the fighting, while transport networks are being mobilised to move families from Beirut and southern regions to safer areas in the north.
Officials said shelter centres in northern governorates are fully prepared to receive additional arrivals and that the Sports City complex in Beirut has been readied to house displaced residents. The Ministry of Public Health has also been tasked with covering medical treatment for displaced civilians, while authorities are securing fuel supplies and basic necessities for emergency shelters.
Security forces have been deployed to guide displaced civilians, protect shelter facilities and prevent tensions between host communities and newly arrived families as Lebanon braces for the humanitarian fallout of the widening regional war.
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