Free Patriotic Movement leader, Gebran Bassil, on Tuesday withheld confidence from Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government, making clear his dissatisfaction with its leadership and composition. Bassil’s statement came during a speech in the Lebanese Parliament, where he expressed his discontent and announced that he no longer supported the government.

“Mr. Prime Minister Salam, we gave you our trust when we nominated you. Without our votes in the designation process, you wouldn’t be in your current position. But today, we withdraw this trust from you because you no longer deserve it. If you wish to regain it—or if it doesn’t matter to you because you are sufficiently supported—we are ready to restore it based on your actions,” he said.

Bassil said he agreed with the government’s ministerial statement regarding UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the liberation of occupied territories, and the monopoly on arms and State's exclusive authority over decisions of war and peace.

While acknowledging Hezbollah's loss in a recent conflict, Bassil emphasized that Lebanon had not lost its right to resist occupation.

"Hezbollah lost the war it had waged in support of Gaza, and we lost with it the equation of deterrence against Israel. However, Lebanon has not lost its legitimate right to resist the occupation," Bassil declared.

Turning to other domestic issues, Bassil called for clearer policies on the disarmament of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. He also took a firm stance on the Syrian refugee issue, saying that there was no justification for the continued presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.