Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday renewed confidence in Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government, with 68 lawmakers voting in favor, 12 against and two abstaining, after a heated debate over the government's handling of the war, State sovereignty, economic reforms and relations with Syria.

The vote came after a two-day parliamentary session in which lawmakers questioned Salam and his ministers on the government's performance amid Lebanon's continuing political, economic and security challenges.

Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc walked out of the chamber shortly before the vote, while the Amal Movement's parliamentary bloc, headed by Speaker Nabih Berri, backed the government.

Addressing parliament after the debate, Salam acknowledged that expectations had been high when his government was formed but said they had collided with the difficult reality created by war and Lebanon's longstanding crises.

He thanked lawmakers who had offered what he described as constructive criticism and defended the government's record against accusations that it had failed to respond adequately to the country's problems.

"The Lebanese people are right to demand a State that is present and capable of doing its job," Salam said. "They are also right to complain when the State is absent."

Salam defends government's approach to war

A central issue during the debate was the government's handling of negotiations aimed at ending the conflict and securing an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

Salam defended the negotiating framework, rejecting claims that it constituted a legally binding treaty or represented a departure from Lebanon's established positions.

"It is a political framework for negotiations, not an agreement or treaty in the legal sense," he said.

According to Salam, the framework calls for an Israeli withdrawal in stages and for the Lebanese State to exercise sovereignty over all of its territory.

He acknowledged that the process had not yet achieved all of Lebanon's objectives.

"The attacks have not stopped. Israel has not yet withdrawn from all Lebanese territory, and many of our prisoners remain detained, while many Lebanese are still unable to return to their towns and villages," he said.

But Salam stressed that negotiations were continuing.

"Any negotiating process is ultimately judged by the results it produces," he said. "But we also have to ask ourselves what kind of Lebanon we are bringing to the negotiating table."

He argued that Lebanon's position would be strengthened by greater national unity, a stronger army and the consolidation of State authority.

"The stronger our national unity, the stronger our army and the stronger the State's authority over all of its territory, the stronger our position at the negotiating table," Salam said.

He also said the government was working with international partners to maintain an effective international presence in southern Lebanon after the end of the United Nations peacekeeping mission's mandate.

'One people, in one State'

Salam said the government's objective was to build a State capable of exercising exclusive authority throughout Lebanon.

"We want to be one people, in one State, protected by one army, with one State exercising its sovereignty over all of its territory," he said.

He rejected accusations that his efforts to mobilize Arab and international support amounted to aligning Lebanon with a regional axis.

"Our government rejects turning Lebanon into an arena for conflicts between regional powers," he said, adding that Lebanon was seeking international support for its State institutions rather than outside backing for one Lebanese faction against another.

Salam also challenged critics who oppose negotiations to propose an alternative.

"If there is another way to stop the attacks, liberate our land, secure the release of our prisoners and allow our people to return to their towns and villages at a lower cost to Lebanon and the Lebanese, then show us that path," he said.

"Dragging the country into wars we did not choose and then holding the State responsible for the consequences is not a convincing alternative to negotiations."

Refugees, economy and public services

The prime minister also used his address to defend the government's record on several domestic issues.

On relations with Syria, he said Beirut was seeking a relationship based on mutual respect for sovereignty, shared interests and non-interference.

He said nearly 700,000 Syrians had returned to Syria, describing the government's role as facilitating and organizing the process in cooperation with Damascus and international organizations.

The government, he said, had also worked to regulate Syrian employment in Lebanon according to the needs of the Lebanese labor market.

On the humanitarian impact of the war, Salam said more than 200,000 families had received $52 million in cash assistance, while the Aman social-support program continued to assist around 107,000 of the poorest and most vulnerable families.

He acknowledged that the assistance did not meet all needs but attributed the shortfall to the State's limited resources and insufficient international aid.

Salam also defended government policies on education, cement imports, electricity, water infrastructure and telecommunications.

He said the Education Ministry had put in place measures to prevent students from losing an academic year because of war and displacement, including remote learning where schools could not reopen.

On cement, he rejected claims that government restrictions were driving prices higher, saying more than 80,000 tons had been authorized for import when prices increased.

On electricity, he said Lebanon's crisis was the product of more than two decades of accumulated failures and that more than $24 billion had been spent subsidizing the sector.

The government's objective, he said, was to create a sustainable electricity sector, attract investment and eventually eliminate the illegal generator market.

Reform agenda remains central

Salam also defended reforms in the telecommunications sector and the government's new mechanism for appointing senior officials.

He said the telecommunications policy was based on existing legislation and aimed to improve coverage, expand fiber-optic and 4G networks and prepare for 5G.

He also pledged to tackle illegal telecommunications networks, which he said deprive the treasury of revenue and create security risks.

On public appointments, Salam said the government was seeking to make competence and qualifications the main criteria for selecting senior officials, while acknowledging resistance to rotating positions traditionally associated with particular religious communities.

"We cannot demand a modern administration based on merit while at the same time insisting that certain positions remain permanently reserved for particular sects," he said.

He cited Article 95 of the Constitution, saying it provides for competence and specialization in public employment and equal representation of Christians and Muslims in first-category positions without permanently assigning specific posts to particular sects.

Government faces challenges after confidence vote

With parliament's confidence renewed, Salam's government now faces the task of translating its stated priorities into concrete measures, particularly on State sovereignty, economic reform, reconstruction and public services.

Salam said the government's agenda remained clear: financial and economic reform, strengthening State authority, placing all weapons under State control, securing an Israeli withdrawal and rebuilding the country.

"Our destination is clear," he told lawmakers.

"These are our responsibilities to the Lebanese people," he said, describing the task as a shared responsibility between the government and parliament.