This is Beirut - Nawaf Salam

PM Salam: Arms Consolidation Plan Covers All Lebanese Territory

This is Beirut, 22/01 16:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanese Army Lebanon Damascus Hezbollah Syria Litani South Lebanon

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reiterated on Thursday that the Lebanese Army’s (LAF) plan to consolidate all arms under state authority applies to the entirety of Lebanon, not only areas south of the Litani River, underscoring the government’s commitment to restoring the state’s exclusive control over weapons. In an interview with ...

The ‘Five-Nation Committee’ Confirms Support for Lebanese State

This is Beirut, 12/01 11:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Saudi Arabia United States Nawaf Salam Egypt Disarmament

The five-nation committee of ambassadors from Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, Egypt, and the United States met with Lebanese Prime Minister Salam to discuss the ongoing weapons inventory, among other issues, reaffirming their support for the Lebanese state and urging timely progress on the disarmament file. Egyptian diplomat Alaa Moussa said, “We ...

Syria and Lebanon: Who Is Moving Forward in 2026?

Salam El Zaatari, 04/01 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Nawaf Salam European Union Gulf Hezbollah Syria

Entering 2026, Syria and Lebanon stand at an inflection point along the region’s active fault line. While both nations shook off paralysis at roughly the same time a year ago, neither has become truly stable. What separates them is the nature of the risks they face in the near and medium-term as the Middle East undergoes uneasy post-war ...

Hezbollah Receives ‘Last-Chance Advice’ from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey to Disarm

This is Beirut, 02/01 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Turkey Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Lebanese Army

Lebanese ministerial officials say Hezbollah on Wednesday received “last-chance advice” from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey to hand over its weapons to Lebanon’s government, according to the Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. According to the sources, the countries warned the militant group that failing to disarm would isolate ...

After the Vote: Exposing the Gap Law’s Broken Promises

Claudia Groeling, 2025-12-29 19:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam International Monetary Fund Lebanon Banque du Liban Gap Law Banks

Lebanon’s cabinet on December 19 approved one of the most controversial pieces of legislation since the country’s financial collapse in 2019, adopting the so-called “Gap Law” in a narrow vote that has reignited public anger and raised serious concerns among economists, legal experts, and international observers. Backed by 13 ministers ...

Lebanon Signs Deal to Purchase Natural Gas from Egypt

This is Beirut, 2025-12-29 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Nawaf Salam Joseph Aoun USA Natural Gas

Lebanon said Monday it plans to purchase natural gas from Egypt, seeking to reduce its reliance on fuel oil for its ageing power plants in a country hamstrung by regular electricity cuts. The electricity sector has cost Lebanon more than $40 billion since the end of its 1975-1990 civil war, and successive governments have failed to reduce losses, ...

Lebanon’s Cabinet Divided Over Controversial Financial Gap Law

This is Beirut, 2025-12-22 20:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Nawaf Salam International Monetary Fund Banks Central Bank of Lebanon Gap Law

The controversial financial Gap Law presented as key to resolving Lebanon’s enduring banking crisis that deprived depositors of their savings, topped discussions at Monday’s cabinet meeting, exposing differences among ministers. The session, attended by Central Bank Governor Karim Souaid, was adjourned and will resume Tuesday to ...

Hezbollah Allegedly Strengthens Hold on Beirut Port Amid Disarmament Doubts

Michael al-Andary, 2025-12-22 13:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Beirut Port Hezbollah Nawaf Salam Beirut International Airport Lebanese Army Israel United States

Despite the Lebanese cabinet’s move to impose a firm deadline for the disarmament of militias, developments on the ground point to a “lack of seriousness” in enforcing the decision against Hezbollah, a security source told This is Beirut on condition of anonymity, questioning whether the government’s commitment is backed by concrete ...

Financial Gap Law: Farewell to a Lifetime’s Savings… Where Is Karim Souhaid?

This is Beirut, 2025-12-20 15:55 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Banks Banque du Liban Gap Law

The draft Financial Gap Law, also known as the Financial Regularization Law, is set to be discussed at the Cabinet table on Monday. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has praised the project, presenting it as the first comprehensive legal framework to recover deposits and address the financial gap in a systematic and fair manner, within available means, ...

Gap Law: When the State Organizes Its Disengagement at the Expense of Depositors

This is Beirut, 2025-12-19 22:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Nawaf Salam IMF Banks

Under the guise of structural reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the “Gap Law” currently being prepared in Lebanon is raising growing concern. Presented as a technical tool designed to bridge the country’s massive financial shortfall, this law is now seen by many experts as a mechanism allowing the state to evade its ...

Egyptian PM Pledges Full Support to Lebanon

This is Beirut, 2025-12-19 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Lebanese Army Nawaf Salam Joseph Aoun Egypt Madbouly

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday, reaffirming Egypt’s steadfast support for Lebanon and stressing the need for stability, sovereignty, and full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. In his remarks, Madbouly said the visit aimed to “convey Egypt’s full support to ...

Depositors Rally Against Government’s Proposed Financial Gap Plan

This is Beirut, 2025-12-18 16:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Nawaf Salam Council of Ministers Depositors Banks

A protest organized by the Depositors’ Associations Gathering and the Association of Expatriate Depositors was held on Thursday, bringing together representatives of depositor groups and unions in a unified show of opposition to the government’s proposed financial gap draft law. Demonstrators said the proposed legislation unfairly shifts the ...

Nawaf Salam