Salam: The Support War Brought Calamity to Lebanon and Cost It 20 Billion Dollars

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Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam confirmed that the "Support War" did not support Gaza, but rather brought calamity to Lebanon, emphasizing that the government is committed to restricting weapons within the state and will not back down from achieving this goal.

In exclusive statements to Al Arabiya, Salam stated that Hezbollah's weapons have not succeeded in deterring Israel or protecting its leaders and cadres, while the Support Wars have cost Lebanon more than $20 billion, affirming that the diplomatic option is the fastest and least costly for the country.

In his assessment of Hezbollah's weaponry, Salam said that the weapon "has neither deterred nor protected for 26 years," considering that it has failed to protect the party's leaders and cadres, nor has it succeeded in preventing the Israeli occupation, but rather caused, according to his statement, the occupation of 70 villages, while confirming that the government's goal is to restrict weapons within state institutions and that it "will not back down" from achieving this goal.

On another note, Salam linked this path to what was stipulated in the Taif Agreement, emphasizing that the agreement called for the authority of the state to be extended over all Lebanese territories, which places the restriction of weapons within the framework of restoring the authority of the state and its institutions.

In this context, the Lebanese Prime Minister emphasized that the country's administration is moving forward in achieving its goal, alongside its efforts to end the Israeli occupation through diplomatic and political means.

In facing the occupation, the Lebanese Prime Minister confirmed that Lebanon "mobilizes all its diplomatic and political capabilities" to end it, considering that the diplomatic option is "the fastest and least costly for Lebanon."

At the same time, Salam stated that Lebanon still needs an international presence in the south to monitor the situation and report, clarifying that what is needed is an agreement on a new international force under UN sponsorship.

On the humanitarian level, Salam said that Lebanon seeks to transition from managing displacement to recovery and reconstruction, after the available resources were less than the requirements to respond to the displacement crisis.

He explained that thousands of displaced people chose not to go to shelters, stressing that "our primary concern was not to leave any person in the open," referring to the challenges faced in responding to the crisis.

In his remarks about the repercussions of the war, Salam stated that Lebanon has repeatedly called for restraint and not to be drawn into a war "that has nothing to do with us," noting that the two support wars have cost the country more than 20 billion dollars.

This comes as he emphasizes that Lebanon's priority is to avoid additional costs of war and to rely on diplomatic means to end the occupation, while continuing to work on restoring state authority and limiting weapons.

In the context of diplomatic movements, Nawaf Salam revealed to "Al Arabiya" that he will meet with the U.S. Secretary of State on Monday, without providing further details about the meeting or the issues that will be discussed.