Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday that Lebanon cannot afford to wait for a broader regional settlement before restoring State authority and services across the country, calling for a clear timetable for Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

In an interview with Lebanese broadcaster NBN, Salam said the government was preparing to restore essential services in southern Lebanon, including the rehabilitation of five hospitals and schools, as residents begin returning to areas affected by the war.

“Wherever people are able to return, and wherever the State is able to be present, it must be there,” Salam said. “The State is accompanying this return, not only through security, but also by providing services.”

He said the government would mobilize whatever resources were available to support the return of residents, recovery and the start of reconstruction, while acknowledging that Lebanon would need outside financing.

“We all know the reality of the country. We need external financing,” he said.

Salam stressed that he had not declared the war over and said the government could not ask residents to remain in shelters indefinitely.

“I have not said that the war is over,” he said. “But I cannot tell people to wait. I cannot ask them to remain in shelters and places of refuge indefinitely.”

Salam seeks timetable for Israeli withdrawal

Salam said Lebanon’s position was that its sovereignty extended to its internationally recognized borders and that Israel must withdraw completely from Lebanese territory.

He described the framework under discussion as being based on two principles — reciprocity and phased implementation — but said it lacked a critical element: a timetable.

“What is missing from this framework today is a timetable,” Salam said. “I want to know: When will Israel withdraw? When will it withdraw from the positions it occupies? There must be a timetable so that this framework can be translated into practical steps that people can see.”

He said Lebanon’s commitment to extending State authority throughout its territory and bringing weapons under State control was not a new undertaking imposed from outside.

“The issue of bringing weapons under State control was agreed upon in 1989 under the Taif Agreement,” Salam said. “We reaffirmed it in international resolutions and then in the November 2024 cessation-of-hostilities agreement. We are committed to it.”

Lebanon had not tied the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the process of bringing weapons under State control, he added.

“Extending State authority over the entire country is a commitment we Lebanese took upon ourselves before any outside party demanded it,” Salam said.

He also denied the existence of a secret agreement, while acknowledging that a security and military annex exists and that its details are not necessarily made public because of their nature.

“There is no secret agreement,” he said. “There is a security and military annex, and under established practice, the details of such annexes are not always made public because of their security and military nature.”

Salam challenged critics to identify any new commitment Lebanon had made that it had not previously accepted.

“Would I have drafted this framework in the same way if I had been the one who wrote it? Certainly not,” he said. “There are many things I would have worded differently and more clearly.”

He said he interpreted references to the “repositioning” of Israeli forces outside Lebanese territory as meaning a complete withdrawal to the internationally recognized border.

Salam also sought to distinguish the framework from a formal treaty or agreement.

“Some people treat it as though it were an agreement or treaty,” he said. “An agreement or treaty creates legal obligations. This, by contrast, is a political framework, or a road map, and does not by itself create legal obligations of that kind.”

No return to old disputes

Salam said Lebanon would continue to demand a complete Israeli withdrawal and did not want to reopen disputes that had already been addressed through previous agreements and resolutions.

“There is not a single day when we do not reaffirm that our goal is a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory,” he said.

“We do not have time to waste on new negotiations over issues that have already been agreed upon.”

He also questioned why the Lebanese army had not fully deployed along the border areas after Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.

“The army is there to protect our people and our borders,” Salam said. “And of course, we want an army that is properly equipped, armed and capable of carrying out its duties.”

Salam said he was also focused on preventing a security vacuum in southern Lebanon after the end of the U.N. peacekeeping mission there.

“What matters to me is that there is no vacuum in the south after UNIFIL’s mission ends,” he said. “We will continue to need an international force in the south. It may not be called UNIFIL, and it may take another form that has not yet been determined.”

Any future international force, he said, should operate under the United Nations and have a mandate from the Security Council.

Beirut seeks a new chapter with Iran

Salam said Lebanon also wanted to reset its relations with Iran on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference.

He said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had requested their meeting and that he had accepted the invitation immediately.

“We want to open a new page with Iran,” Salam said. “We want the relationship to be based on mutual respect for the sovereignty of States, non-interference in the affairs of others and building relations around shared interests.”

“We do not interfere in Iran’s affairs,” he added. “Have you ever seen Lebanon support an opposition faction in Iran, take sides between one party and another, or interfere in the political choices of the Iranian people? Certainly not.”

Salam said Lebanon would prefer Iran to appoint a new ambassador as part of the transition to a new phase in bilateral relations.

He said Beirut had extended the Iranian ambassador’s residence for three months, but only in his capacity as a private citizen rather than as a diplomat.

“We want a new ambassador to be appointed if we genuinely want to move into a new phase of relations between the two countries,” Salam said.

He stressed that the dispute over Iranian flights to Lebanon was separate from the broader relationship because it concerned airport security.

“The safety of the airport and passengers is my priority,” he said.

Lebanon will not wait for U.S.-Iran deal

Salam said Lebanon could not isolate itself from regional developments but also could not remain paralyzed while waiting for a possible agreement between Washington and Tehran.

“I cannot sit and wait for a U.S.-Iranian settlement,” he said. “If one happens, that is good. If it does not, are we supposed to continue sitting around and waiting?”

“The State cannot remain in a State of waiting. We have to go to the south and to all regions and assume our responsibilities,” he added.

At the same time, he said Lebanon would continue to press for an end to Israeli attacks, consolidation of the ceasefire, an Israeli withdrawal and the release of detainees.

Salam said that when he returns to Nabatieh and Tyre for the fourth time, he wants to see concrete improvements, including restored water and electricity, implementation of government contracts, rehabilitated schools and residents returning safely.

“Of course, people have every right to complain,” he said. “What we can provide is not enough compared with the scale of their needs. But these are our current resources.”

Salam rejected suggestions that the government was deliberately neglecting or punishing a particular community.

“If I wanted to punish a particular community, I would not personally be following these operations and responding to demands every day,” he said.

He said he favored holding a Cabinet meeting in Nabatieh or Tyre but did not want it to become merely a symbolic gesture.

“I want there to be real changes that people can see on the ground, and I want us to have something tangible to offer before we go there with results,” he said.

Five hospitals, schools to be rehabilitated

Salam said the government had already begun supporting and rehabilitating schools in southern Lebanon to allow students to return, with five hospitals to be addressed in the next phase.

“In the second phase, we will begin rehabilitating five hospitals,” he said.

He said the government was seeking to restore State institutions and services wherever residents could safely return, despite severe financial constraints.

The effort, he said, was part of a broader push to facilitate the return of residents, begin reconstruction and restore the State’s presence in areas damaged by the conflict.

Fuel prices, inflation and limited resources

Addressing rising fuel prices, Salam said the increases were not the result of a new government tax but reflected higher global prices.

“I know fuel prices have risen, but this did not happen because the State imposed a new tax on them,” he said. “That does not mean people are not suffering. We know what people are going through.”

He said the government had recently increased public-sector salaries and approved additional assistance within the limits of its resources.

“Our resources are limited, and every Lebanese pound we are able to spend must go toward people’s needs,” he said.

Salam acknowledged that the government could not be held responsible for global inflation but said it was responsible for ensuring that traders did not exploit price increases to raise prices disproportionately.

“It is not acceptable for the cost of a product to rise by a certain percentage and then for a store or trader to double or triple its price by taking advantage of people’s needs,” he said.

He called on the Economy Ministry and consumer protection agencies to enforce price controls and ensure that increases at the retail level reflected actual changes in global costs.

No government reshuffle, no new taxes

Salam also ruled out an imminent government reshuffle, saying the priority was to solve the country’s problems rather than use political changes to relieve pressure.

“There is no government reshuffle under consideration,” he said. “We do not want to simply release pressure here or there; we want solutions.”

He said Lebanon’s fundamental problem was a lack of resources, rather than an inability or unwillingness by the government to act.

Salam also rejected suggestions that the government was introducing new taxes through the 2027 budget.

“Look at the budget submitted to Parliament: it does not contain new taxes,” he said.

He said the budget included some limited fees, including charges on private aircraft and yachts, as well as adjustments to existing fees to reflect current exchange rates.

“My guarantee is the State”

Salam said Lebanon’s main safeguard was to strengthen State institutions, preserve internal unity, meet citizens’ needs, secure an Israeli withdrawal and restore full sovereignty.

“Our fundamental guarantee is to rally around the State, strengthen our internal unity, work to meet people’s needs, secure the Israeli withdrawal, restore our sovereignty and extend State authority,” he said.

He said his dialogue with Lebanon’s political forces remained open and that the priority now was implementing commitments already made.

“My dialogue with everyone has not been cut off,” Salam said. “There are things we have agreed on, and what is required today is to implement them.”

He said Lebanese political unity should be based on honoring existing commitments rather than reopening negotiations over issues that had already been settled.

“I do not think anyone today is willing to embark on another adventure or another war,” Salam said. “We have all suffered, and we are all bearing the burden together.”

“How do we strengthen our internal unity? By rallying around the State. That is our only guarantee. My guarantee is the State.”

Addressing residents of southern Lebanon, Salam said the government would remain present and would work to ensure that no region felt abandoned.

“You are not alone,” he said. “The State is with you, by your side and at your service.”

“I do not want any citizen, whether in the south, Akkar or the Bekaa, to feel that the State is neglecting them or ignoring their demands,” he added. “The State must stand alongside all its citizens.”