The Cabinet session, held Tuesday afternoon in the presence of Army Commander-in-Chief General Joseph Aoun, decided to grant a one-week extension to continue consultations on the file of Military Academy students. An appropriate decision would be taken in this regard during the next session scheduled in a week.
This issue constitutes a point of conflict between the Ministry of Defense and the military institution. Initially, Caretaker Minister of Defense Maurice Slim refused to ratify the results of the entrance exams to the Military Academy, which prompted some successful candidates to file legal appeals with the State Council. Slim then accused the army leadership of disclosing the names of the successful candidates and inciting them to file a complaint with the State Council regarding their admission, which the army leadership categorically denies.
Slim, who is boycotting cabinet sessions due to the absence of a president of the Republic, met with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail before the cabinet session. At the end of the meeting, he announced that he would propose a solution to include 55 new officer cadets in the previous class, thus increasing the number to 173. He believes that this initiative provides a legal framework to resolve the current situation, which he described as a ‘mess’.
Regarding the electricity issue, according to information from our sister company, This is Lebanon News, the issue concerning the funds owed for the acquisition of Iraqi fuel was added as an additional item on the agenda of the session.
In this context, Caretaker Minister of Energy Walid Fayad met with Mikati before the cabinet session. The Director-General of Electricite du Liban, Kamal Hayek, was summoned during the session to explain the situation in the sector, again according to sources from This is Lebanon News. Discussions on the Iraqi fuel issue are expected to continue between the concerned parties outside the framework of the Council of Ministers.
Speech by Najib Mikati
In his opening address at the session, Mikati affirmed that the priority remains the prevention of the expansion of the war, despite increasing concerns about the security situation in the south in light of the threats made by Israel against Lebanon.
He also emphasized that friendly countries continue to express their interest in Lebanon and their willingness to help prevent the expansion of the conflict. In this regard, he mentioned his recent meetings with the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, and the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Mikati reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to implementing all provisions of Resolution 1701 in their entirety and called for Israel to be compelled to abide by them as well.
He also denounced ‘the information circulating in media and political circles about presumed post-war negotiations concerning the south as “irrelevant.” He called for preserving the Lebanese position by avoiding the spread of rumors on this matter.
On the economic front, Mikati announced that the Cabinet would take “the necessary measures to address new developments in the electricity file.”
The caretaker prime minister also stated that the Council of Ministers would examine ‘the issue of salary and compensation adjustments in the public sector with an administrative and financial team’.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the information reported by the British newspaper, The Telegraph, about Hezbollah’s alleged weapons storage at Beirut Airport is a mere rumor and part of the psychological war waged against Lebanon.
