Hezbollah, one of Lebanon's most powerful political players, has been significantly weakened by its conflict with Israel.
Analysts, however, said Salam and Aoun have a unique opportunity. The collapse of the al-Assad regime, a constant meddler in Lebanese affairs, the weakening of Iran and the willingness of the international community to provide foreign aid and backing to Lebanon’s new leaders mean there is support for a reform agenda that wasn’t previously there.
Hezbollah ceasefire amid warnings IDF could stay in Lebanon past deadline should Beirut fail to rein in Iran-backed terror group
Najib Mikati’s visit, the first in 15 years, comes amid pressure in Lebanon to release Islamists imprisoned during the civil war and just after the election of President Joseph Aoun.
Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad said on Monday the Iran-backed group's opponents were seeking its fragmentation and exclusion from power in Lebanon.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the time is right to speak openly and share his vision, emphasizing that "transparency and reconciliation" should define Lebanon's future. In an interview on LBCI's "Vision 2030" program,
Salam said he would work for justice for the victims of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, which killed at least 220 people and no senior official has taken responsibility for.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati will meet Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Saturday, two Lebanese sources said, becoming the first head of government to visit Syria's capital since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
With the fall of Assad in December, the election of Aoun and Salam in Lebanon marks the second dramatic political shift in Israel’s neighborhood dynamics in less than two months.
Choice of UN court's Nawaf Salam underlines major power shift among sectarian factions in Beirut since Iran-backed Shiite group was pummeled by Israel, lost sponsor in Syria
Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice, won enough support to become Lebanon's next prime minister after a majority of lawmakers backed him for the post on Monday, a big blow to Hezbollah which accused opponents of working to exclude it.
BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanese President Joseph Aoun summoned Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice, to designate him prime minister after most lawmakers nominated him on Monday, a big blow to Hezbollah, which accused opponents of seeking to exclude it.