PM Salam establishes a new government as Hezbollah바카라s influence wanes.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced the formation of a new government after more than two years under a caretaker cabinet, amid political deadlock and a severe economic collapse, Al-Jazeera reported. On Saturday, the presidency confirmed the resignation of the interim government and the appointment of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's new cabinet, which consists of 24 ministers. This marks Lebanon's first full government since 2022.
The new cabinet바카라s initial task is to draft a policy statement outlining its priorities and approach. Afterward, it will need a vote of confidence from Lebanon바카라s parliament to officially take power.
Prime Minister Salam, a former diplomat and president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), promised to reform Lebanon's judiciary, introduce economic changes, and bring stability. During his speech at the presidential palace, Salam reiterated Lebanon바카라s commitment to implementing UN resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel and called for the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other armed groups from southern Lebanon near the Israeli border.
This new government represents a shift away from leadership closely aligned with Hezbollah, as Lebanon seeks to access reconstruction funds and investments after last year바카라s war with Israel and recover from an ongoing economic crisis that began in 2019.
Although Hezbollah did not endorse Salam as prime minister, the group did negotiate with him over the allocation of Shia Muslim seats in the new cabinet, in line with Lebanon바카라s sectarian power-sharing system. In early January, former army chief Aoun, another candidate not backed by Hezbollah and its allies, was elected president, ending a lengthy vacancy in the position.
The announcement comes after US Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus demanded that Hezbollah be excluded from Lebanon's government, stressing that Washington had drawn a 바카라red line바카라 regarding the group's presence in the cabinet. The US Embassy in Lebanon issued a statement on Saturday, welcoming the new government and expressing hope that it would implement reforms and rebuild the country바카라s state institutions.
The United Nations바카라 special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, also welcomed the formation of the new government, calling it the end of a political deadlock and the beginning of 바카라a new and brighter chapter for Lebanon.바카라