Iran, allies ready Israel response as funerals held for militant leaders

BEIRUT: Twenty-six days after Nawaf Salam was assigned to form a Lebanese government, the decrees for its formation were announced on Saturday from the Presidential Palace.

President Joseph Aoun accepted the resignation of Najib Mikati’s government.

The Council of Ministers is scheduled to hold its first session at the Presidential Palace next Tuesday.

In a speech after announcing the formation of the government, Salam said he hoped that “it would be a government of reform and salvation, because reform is the only way for Lebanon to rise.”

He added: “With President Aoun, we launch the workshop to build a new Lebanon.”

He said that “the diversity of ministers’ names will not hinder the function of government, and no government formation will satisfy everyone. We will work in a unified manner. I am keeping in mind the establishment of a state of law and institutions, and we are laying the foundations for reform and rescue. There is no room to turn back time, and we must begin work immediately.

“The government will have to work with parliament to complete the implementation of the Taif Agreement and proceed with financial and economic reforms.

“The government will be a place for constructive joint work and not for disputes. I am determined to lay the foundations for reform and rescue in cooperation with President Aoun.”

Salam continued: “This government will strive to restore trust and bridge the gap between the state and the aspirations of the youth. It must work toward the full implementation of the Taif Agreement, proceed with financial and economic reforms, and establish an independent judiciary.”

He emphasized the importance of “ensuring security and stability in Lebanon by completing the implementation of Resolution 1701.”

He said: “It is difficult for any government formation to satisfy everyone. However, the government will endeavor to be cohesive, and diversity will not serve as a source of obstruction to its work, nor will it provide a platform for narrow interests.”

The government included Tarek Mitri as deputy prime minister, Michel Menassa as defense minister, Ahmad Hajjar as interior minister, Youssef Raji as foreign minister, Yassine Jaber as finance minister, Ghassan Salameh as culture minister, Laura Khazen Lahoud as tourism minister, Kamal Chehade as minister of displaced persons and artificial intelligence, Nora Bayrakdarian as minister of sports and youth, Rima Karami as education minister, Adel Nassar as justice minister, Rakan Nasser Eldine as health minister, Mohammed Haidar as labor minister, Joseph Sadi as energy minister, Amir Bisat as economy minister, Charles Hajj as telecommunications minister, Joe Issa El-Khoury as industry minister, Fayez Rasamny as public works minister, Nizar El-Hani as agriculture minister, Fadi Makki as minister of administrative development, Tamara Zein as environment minister, Hanin Sayyed as social affairs minister and Paul Marcos as information minister.

Salam’s government during Aoun’s presidency has broken the norms established by Hezbollah and its allies over three terms, which dictated that the government be composed of direct party representatives and that Hezbollah maintain a significant influence capable of obstructing decisions at every critical political or security juncture.

A technocratic government has been formed, one that is widely acknowledged and uncontested by political parties.

Despite pressure from Hezbollah and the Amal Movement over the past few weeks to form a government similar to its predecessor, both the president and the prime minister-designate stood firm. As a result, they eventually formed a government that reflects the reformist spirit expressed in Aoun’s oath speech.

The new government has no members affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement, but it does have representatives close to the Lebanese Forces Party.

Notably, it includes five women, and for the first time, a ministerial portfolio has been dedicated to artificial intelligence.

The government consists of 24 ministers. Its formation was delayed from Friday to Saturday due to disagreements over Shiite representation.

At noon on Saturday, Salam presented three candidates to the Presidential Palace for selection to fill the fifth Shiite seat in the administrative development portfolio.

Fadi Makki, former adviser to Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2002, was chosen.

Makki is known for pioneering the application of behavioral economics in public policy across the Middle East.

The announcement of the new government coincided with the conclusion of the two-day visit by US deputy envoy for the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, who held discussions with several Lebanese officials.

Ortagus’s statement at the Presidential Palace on Friday caught many by surprise, when she said: “The US expresses its gratitude to our ally Israel for defeating Hezbollah. Hezbollah must not be part of the government in any way. It must remain demilitarized and militarily defeated.”

According to Salam’s office, Ortagus met him and reaffirmed “the US support for Lebanon in this new era and government.”

Salam emphasized to Ortagus the need for “international pressure to ensure Israel’s complete withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories by the Feb. 18 deadline. This withdrawal must occur without delay or procrastination, in full compliance with international resolutions.”

Ortagus also met the parliament speaker, Nabih Berri. Notably, during this meeting, she was not wearing the Star of David ring she had worn during her earlier meeting with the president on Friday.

While Ortagus did not make a statement, Berri’s media office reiterated that “Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese territories necessitates our resistance.”

In a separate development, Israeli forces continued to demolish homes in villages along the southern border.

Meanwhile, for a third consecutive day, deadly clashes intensified in north-east Lebanon along the Syrian border and in villages straddling Lebanese and Syrian territories.

On Friday, Aoun held a phone conversation with Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa. They both agreed to coordinate efforts to control the situation on the Lebanese-Syrian border and prevent civilian casualties.

The border town of Jarmash was targeted by missiles and drones, while additional missiles landed near the Lebanese town of Qasr, leaving one civilian seriously injured.

After the shelling of the border area, the Lebanese Red Cross transported eight wounded people to hospitals in Hermel.

The Lebanese town of Qanafez, on the northern border of Hermel, was hit by artillery shelling from the Qusayr countryside, breaking a night of relative calm.

Armed clansmen intercepted and shot down three Shaheen drones over the northern border villages of Hermel, after they were launched from Syrian territory.

According to the Lebanese National News Agency, they also destroyed a tank in the town of Jarmash.

Lebanese media reports indicated that 10 members of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham were killed, while three others were captured in the aftermath of the clashes.

The clashes broke out last Thursday when forces aligned with the new Syrian administration advanced on the border town of Hawik as part of a sweeping operation to “seal off smuggling routes for weapons and contraband.”