Lebanon plans to formally ask Hamas to hand over members believed to be behind recent rocket attacks launched from areas north of the Litani River into Israel, a senior Lebanese official told Asharq Al-Awsat. The request will top the agenda at the Higher Defense Council’s meeting on Friday, chaired by President Joseph Aoun.
Friday, May 2, 2025
The Lebanese army has dismantled "over 90 percent" of Hezbollah's infrastructure near the border with Israel since a November ceasefire, a security official said Wednesday.
Thursday, May 1, 2025
A parliamentary committee in Lebanon last week issued a draft law for restructuring the country’s financial sector. The Lebanese people surely breathed a sigh of relief, but does this mean they will finally regain access to their bank deposits, which they have been unable to withdraw for several years? That remains uncertain.
Monday, April 28, 2025
Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced that Beirut would not forcibly disarm the Iran-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah as part of its effort to gain a state monopoly on weapons. Instead, Aoun said Hezbollah would be convinced to give up its arms on its own, through dialogue and negotiations. Moreover, the president suggested the militia’s troops could then be integrated into the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). This approach, which avoids a potentially bloody face-off, will be unacceptable to both the US and Israel, and will ultimately undermine the hopeful progress Lebanon has made toward reasserting its sovereignty.
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid meet in their second derby of the season with the Liga lead on the line and the focus on refereeing. Real Madrid has spent the days ahead of Saturday’s match complaining of mistakes against the club.
Thursday, February 6, 2025
The first Chinese driver in Formula 1, Zhou Guanyu, is heading back to Ferrari as one of its reserve drivers for the 2025 season.
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Tuesday 29 April 2025 14:15:50
In a country where government ministers often make noise only to fold and fall silent under the weight of political interests, Minister Adel Nassar is proving to be a rare exception. Unlike his predecessors who talked reform but bent to the will of political bosses, Nassar is quietly reshaping one of Lebanon’s most paralyzed institutions: the Ministry of Justice. Long mired in political interference and sectarian power plays, the ministry is now witnessing an unprecedented transformation; one driven by Nassar’s calm resolve and clear reformist vision.
At the heart of his mission is a straightforward but revolutionary idea: restoring faith in Lebanon’s justice system by making it independent, functional, and fair. For years, the judiciary has been seen less as a pillar of democracy and more as a venue for settling political scores. Nassar wants to change that. He envisions a justice system that protects rights rather than serving agendas; a judiciary that earns the trust of citizens, not their suspicion.
What makes Nassar stand out isn’t just his commitment to structural reforms inside the ministry, but also his dogged insistence on insulating the judiciary from political interference. Nowhere is this more evident than in his push to finalize judicial appointments, a critical issue that had been stalled during President Michel Aoun’s term. Files that once collected dust in the presidential palace have now moved to the top of Nassar’s agenda. His approach is as bold as it is principled: place the right person in the right position based on merit, not political affiliation or sectarian balance. In Nassar’s view, true judicial autonomy begins with an independent, merit-based appointments process.
According to well-informed sources within the Justice Ministry, Nassar handles Lebanon’s most sensitive legal files with persistence and patience. He has made it clear that no amount of political pressure will sway his decisions. For him, two criteria matter: competence and integrity. In doing so, he charts a markedly different course from previous administrations, many of which deliberately blocked reform, especially when it came to passing the long-delayed law on judicial independence, which remains shelved in Parliament.
Perhaps the clearest sign of change under Nassar came with the resumption of Judge Tarek Bitar's investigation into the Beirut port blast. Lebanese families have waited in agony for justice after the catastrophic 2020 explosion. Nassar played a central role in bringing this case back on track, benefiting from a less oppressive political climate than before. The forces that once threatened to “remove” the lead investigator and derail the probe no longer wield the same influence or capacity to do so.
Bitar’s return has rekindled hope that justice may finally be served in what remains one of the most devastating crimes in Lebanon’s modern history. It’s also a signal that Nassar is serious about entrenching judicial independence and ending the political stranglehold on the judiciary. For him, judicial independence is not a talking point; it's the cornerstone of the rule of law, the foundation of the principle of separation of powers, and the bulwark protecting institutions from political meddling.
Observers say the recent momentum in judicial reform is no accident. It reflects a broader effort to clean up a sector long tarnished by corruption, shady deals, and systemic waste. There is a growing sense that the days of complicity and cover-up may be over, and that a new chapter in the history of Lebanese justice is being written.
Still, not everyone is pleased. Some of those who once benefited from a politicized, pliable judiciary are now openly frustrated. For many, the judiciary that Nassar is working to liberate was merely a selective tool, shaped more by political leverage than by law or conscience.
Despite the lack of media fanfare and flashy press conferences, ministry sources say real progress is being made quietly, steadily, and deliberately. This matters deeply to all Lebanese, especially young people, who have grown weary of hollow promises and long to see real, tangible accomplishments within public institutions.
The coming weeks will reveal whether these reforms can withstand the storms of politics or whether the signs of change will be stifled, as in past experiences. One thing is certain: Adel Nassar is not waging a fleeting political venture. He is engaged in a high-stakes, deeply consequential battle to build a justice system that answers to no one but the law itself.
This is an English adaptation of an Arabic article by Chady Hilani.
The official website of the Kataeb Party leader
