Nawaf Salam discusses with Rubio the path to "restoring Lebanon's full sovereignty"

- The Lebanese Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, emphasized the necessity of establishing a clear timeline for implementing the commitments outlined in the agreement with Israel during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Salam wrote in a statement via his account on the X platform on Monday that he discussed with Rubio "the developments in Lebanon and the region, and the path to restoring Lebanon's full sovereignty."

He continued: "I stressed the importance of moving to the activation phase of the tripartite framework and translating the principles of reciprocity and gradualism into practical steps and tangible results on the ground, leading to the restoration of Lebanon's full sovereignty, achieving the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory, and restricting arms to the state across its entire territory." The Lebanese Prime Minister also added: "I confirmed the importance of establishing a clear timeline for implementing the commitments outlined in the framework, ensuring the progress of both the Israeli withdrawal and the authority of the state and the exclusivity of arms, alongside creating a reliable verification mechanism to monitor implementation and ensure adherence to commitments, preventing the use of non-implementation as an excuse to disrupt the process."

Salam emphasized the "importance of rallying American and international support for the return and recovery process, especially in the areas affected by the war," alongside Washington's support "for the Lebanese army and enhancing its capabilities, enabling it to assume its responsibilities and assert the authority of the state over its entire territory." The statement from the Lebanese Prime Minister conveyed that Rubio affirmed the United States' commitment "to support Lebanon and its legitimate institutions, continue supporting the Lebanese army, and enhance its capabilities, as well as the importance of proceeding with the implementation of the tripartite framework to achieve stability and security."

Lebanon signed an agreement with Israel on June 26 of this year, under American sponsorship and mediation, whereby Israeli forces are to withdraw from southern Lebanon and hand over control to the Lebanese army. Additionally, Hezbollah's weapons and those of other armed groups must be surrendered to the Lebanese army.