Nawaf Salam

Government to Tighten Control Over Weapons as Part of National Reform Plan, insists Salam

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam confirmed on Tuesday that the government is committed to ensuring that all weapons in the country remain solely in the hands of the state, as part of broader efforts to restore national sovereignty, stability, and international trust. The statement was made during the opening of the first edition of “Beirut ...

Israel Arrests Two Accused of Spying on Defense Minister for Iran

Israeli authorities said Tuesday that they had arrested two citizens suspected of carrying out "intelligence-gathering missions" at Iran's behest near the defense minister's home. The arrests are the latest in a spate of cases in which Israel has charged its own citizens with spying for the country's arch-foe since the start of the war in Gaza in ...

Aoun and Salam Discuss Final Phase of Municipal Elections

Preparations for the fourth and final phase of the municipal process, set to take place in the South and Nabatiyeh governorates next Saturday, topped the agenda of a high-level meeting held on Tuesday at Baabda Palace. President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun received Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. The two leaders reviewed the course of the ...

Lebanon Should Take a Cue from al-Sharaa - and Talk to Israel

A joke has it that Syria’s self-proclaimed president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, offered to build a Trump Tower in Damascus to make up for the two New York towers that Al-Qaeda, al-Sharaa former organization, destroyed on 9/11, killing 2,753 Americans. Times are changing.  Since October 7, Iran has been begging America for a nuclear deal that ...

Lebanon Reduced to the Scale of a Mukhtar

While Saudi Arabia was signing investment deals with the United States worth over $600 billion, and President Donald Trump was pursuing economic ventures exceeding $4 trillion to boost the global economy and forge new alliances, Lebanon was engaging in international politics on the scale of a mukhtar, a village chief. As developments began to ...

Qatar Says Israel Attack on Gaza 'Undermining any Chance at Peace'

Qatar's prime minister Tuesday said Israel's military offensive in Gaza had undermined peace efforts after the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander and amid expanded operations in the Palestinian territory. "When Israeli American soldier Aidan Alexander was released, we thought that moment would open a door to end this tragedy, but the ...

France 'Determined' to Recognize Palestinian State

France is "determined" to recognize a Palestinian state, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, condemning Israel for the "indefensible" situation in Gaza created by its military campaign and humanitarian blockade. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also reaffirmed that Paris backed a Netherlands-led initiative for a review of the cooperation ...

Yemen's Houthis Threaten Israeli Port Blockade

Yemen's Houthi rebels said Monday that they would imposed a "naval blockade" of the Israeli port of Haifa in response to Israel's escalation of the Gaza war. The Houthis would "begin working to enforce a naval blockade of the port of Haifa," said military spokesman Yehya Saree. "All companies with ships present in or heading to this port are ...

Gaza Rescuers Say 44 Killed in New Israeli Strikes

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 44 people across the war-ravaged Palestinian territory on Tuesday. "Civil defense teams have transferred (to hospitals) at least 44 dead, mostly children and women, as well as dozens of wounded, following new massacres committed by the occupation" across Gaza since 1:00 am (2200 ...

Trump’s Regional Peace Play: A New Pax Americana?

Donald Trump’s whirlwind tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE was far more than a ceremonial diplomatic visit. Grounded in deep strategic, political and economic stakes, it marked a decisive attempt to recast the American role in a region long scarred by conflict and fractured alliances. Arriving with a regional peace blueprint in hand, ...