The Lebanese Army on Saturday warned citizens against engaging in protests or activities that could threaten national security, citing ongoing Israeli violations and what it described as a “delicate” security situation in the country.
Saturday, August 9, 2025
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has uncovered a sprawling network of fortified tunnels and military-grade weaponry near the southern Lebanese towns of Tayr Harfa, Zibqin, and Naqoura, the peacekeeping mission announced on Thursday.
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Can Lebanon become a normal state again, one that makes decisions through state institutions and that respects its commitments in line with international laws? Can Hezbollah acknowledge that the “Axis of Resistance” is no more, and that it has no choice but to return to Lebanon and close the chapter of the “regional player?” Can the party agree to a lesser role for Lebanon if Iran agrees to a lesser role in the region in recognition of the new balance of power?
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
The people of Lebanon are marking five years since the Beirut port explosion of August 4, 2020 – a blast that has been described as one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. The detonation pulverised the port, ruined vast sections of the city and was felt as far away as Cyprus. It also claimed the lives of more than 220 people, injured more than 7,000 more and left more than 300,000 homeless.
Monday, August 4, 2025
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says the club expects to learn the outcome of the hearing into its 115 charges of alleged Premier League financial rule breaches "in one month".
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Former Brazil and Real Madrid defender Marcelo has announced his retirement from football, bringing the curtain down on a trophy-laden career that included five UEFA Champions League triumphs.
Friday, February 7, 2025
Tuesday 12 August 2025 17:45:30
Justice Minister Adel Nassar said Lebanon has only months left to decide whether it will remain trapped in what he calls a “pre-state” condition or emerge as a fully sovereign nation, stressing that the litmus test facing the country is disarming all militias and bringing their weapons under State control by year’s end.
In an interview with Independent Arabia, Nassar outlined his vision for judicial reform, the settlement of unresolved legal cases, and what he described as a decisive phase in Lebanon’s political trajectory. He linked the disarmament issue directly to State sovereignty, framing it as part of a political and legal roadmap he began months ago that runs until the end of 2025.
Addressing the sensitive file of “charter legitimacy” — the constitutional principle of power-sharing — Nassar argued that it has been turned into a tool of obstruction and a way to muddy the facts. In the Lebanese Constitution, he said, the concept simply requires the presence of both Muslims and Christians in cabinet sessions, not an apportionment of ministerial portfolios by sect, and certainly not a veto right based on a minister’s absence.
Nassar said Hezbollah’s unilateral decisions that drew Lebanon into conflicts — such as the abduction of Israeli soldiers that triggered the July 2006 war and the launch of a southern front in support of Gaza in October 2023 — were not rooted in Lebanon’s power-sharing framework but served a foreign agenda.
“These were party decisions, not sectarian ones,” Nassar said. “Discussing their ‘Charter legitimacy’ is beside the point.”
Nassar described the July 5 cabinet meeting, in which ministers adopted a timetable for disarmament, as “very civil,” with no hostile bickering despite clear divisions. Ministers close to Hezbollah and the Amal Movement sought to delay discussion, but Nassar and others pressed forward, arguing that postponement would only deepen paralysis.
“There is no State without confining weapons to official authorities,” he said, repeating what he called a personal political motto. “State-building isn’t about one faction winning, it’s about protecting everyone.”
He outlined the sequence of decisions: first, setting the end-of-year deadline for disarmament; then holding a second session, attended by Hezbollah-aligned ministers, to approve the principles of a U.S.-brokered proposal. That proposal, he noted, explicitly requires the government to set a clear date for disarmament.
“No Lebanese party is willing or able to stand in the way of state-building,” Nassar said. “The army belongs to everyone, and the State belongs to no faction. When the State is strong, we can face any aggression with national solidarity.”
The U.S. roadmap, known as the “Barrack Paper” after envoy Thomas Barrack— is, according to Nassar, the first actionable plan for disarmament: set a final date, then agree on objectives.
“Lebanon has done its part,” he said. “We are now waiting for the Syrians and Israelis, because implementation requires both sides’ consent.”
He warned that any deviation from this course would be dangerous, praising the government for avoiding such risks.
