Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Lebanon cannot emerge from its deepening crisis without restoring the authority of the State, warning against what he described as years of institutional collapse, foreign-driven conflicts, and “futile adventures” that have weakened the country.

Salam made the remarks during a ceremony held by Al Makassed Association honoring its former president, Faysal Sinno.

“Any real rescue of Lebanon today is impossible without a clear return to the logic of the State,” Salam said.

He described Lebanon as facing “the most dangerous crisis since the establishment of the Lebanese state,” saying that for years the country had been treated “as spoils to be divided rather than as a framework uniting all Lebanese.”

“The authority of State institutions was undermined, public administrations fell apart, the economy deteriorated, and the lines between public and private interests became blurred,” Salam said. “Lebanese citizens reached a point where they no longer felt their State was capable of protecting them or providing the minimum requirements for a dignified life.”

He said the result had been “a profound crisis of trust” between citizens and the State, while the continued emigration of young people, the erosion of the middle class, and the struggles facing schools, universities, and hospitals had further deepened the country’s decline.

Salam said Lebanon’s recovery required rebuilding the State on the basis of sovereignty, constitutional order, accountability, and equality between citizens.

“The State we want is a one of equal citizenship, effective institutions, an independent judiciary, and modern administration,” he said.

He also stressed the need for the Lebanese State to hold exclusive authority over decisions of war and peace, saying the country could only function with “one national decision — that of its constitutional institutions — one weapon, the weapon of the national army, and one law that no one stands above and no one remains outside of.”

In a pointed reference to the recent war with Israel and to armed groups operating outside State control, Salam said Lebanon had endured enough “futile adventures in service of foreign agendas and interests.”

“The latest was a war we did not choose but that was imposed on us,” he said, deploring the fact that it has resulted in Israel occupying 68 Lebanese towns, villages, and positions after Lebanon had previously sought Israel’s withdrawal from only five disputed points.

“After all the killing, destruction, displacement, and suffering, there are still those trying to insult people’s intelligence by calling this a victory,” he added.

Salam also criticized political intimidation and accusations of treason directed at opponents, saying such tactics would not silence those advocating for State sovereignty.

“We have had enough incitement and accusations of betrayal,” he said. “We will not be intimidated! We remain committed to our national choices and strengthened by the support of the majority of the Lebanese people.”

The prime minister said Lebanon’s path out of the crisis required confronting “the full truth, however painful,” in order to strengthen state institutions and secure Arab and international backing for the negotiations that began this week, as well as for Lebanon’s efforts at international forums to push for a United Nations mission to document alleged Israeli violations.