Received Wednesday, November 4, by President Joseph Aoun at the Baabda Palace, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned against Lebanon’s involvement in a new regional war. At the end of their interview, he reiterated that decisions on war and peace were exclusively the responsibility of the State and its constitutional institutions. The two officials also discussed the general situation and agenda of the Council of Ministers scheduled for Thursday, 5 November, at the Grand Sérail.
Preserving Lebanon from regional clashes
The Head of Government’s statement first focuses on the risk of further burning in the region. Nawaf Salam refused to allow the country to engage in confrontations in the service of external interests whose consequences it could not bear. It presents the protection of Lebanon as a national responsibility requiring that its interest be placed above all other considerations.
The Prime Minister particularly mentioned the people of the South, who paid a heavy human and material toll on conflicts. He recalled the loss of life, livelihoods and housing, emphasizing their right to live in security and to build their future without further war, forced displacement and destruction.
Its warning is accompanied by an institutional reminder: no decision involving the country in war must escape the state. Nawaf Salam rejects the idea that a fate should be imposed on Lebanese without their choice, or that their territory should become the place of conflict on behalf of other actors. It placed the preservation of sovereignty and the protection of the population at the centre of this position.
A warning about the activities of Lebanese groups abroad
In the second part of his statement, Nawaf Salam condemned the interference of Lebanese individuals or groups in the internal affairs of Arab countries. In particular, it targeted military activities that might threaten their security, referring to an announcement by the Yemeni authorities.
The Prime Minister did not appoint a Lebanese group in this statement. Nor did he outline the basis for the charges to which he refers. His intervention expresses a political condemnation of such activities, which he considers harmful to Lebanon and the interests of its citizens.
Nawaf Salam reaffirmed the commitment to respect the sovereignty and security of the Arab countries and to strengthen relations with them on the basis of mutual trust. The statement thus links the prevention of a new war in Lebanese territory to the refusal of activities carried out from outside the framework of the State and likely to compromise these relations.
Hizbullah separately denies accusations about Yemen
In a separate statement issued on Wednesday, Hizbullah denied the presence of party experts in Yemen to conduct military operations or to contribute to the development of armaments and the formation of the forces of Ansar Allah, the Houthis. The party contests the accusations reported in this regard and claims that they are not based on any facts.
This denial constitutes Hezbollah’s position. It alone does not permit the determination of the facts alleged. The statement of Nawaf Salam and the party statement must therefore be distinguished: the first condemns the interferences mentioned by the Yemeni authorities without naming their perpetrators, while the second rejects accusations specifically targeting Hezbollah.
The Council of Ministers will meet on Thursday at the Grand Sérail
The Presidency confirmed that Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam had addressed developments in Lebanon and the region, as well as preparations for the next government meeting. This meeting is announced for Thursday 5 November at the Grand Serail.
The interview report does not detail the files on its agenda and does not mention any new decisions taken in Baabda. The Prime Minister’s public position is, at this stage, about the need to keep the country away from a new confrontation and to reserve to the constitutional institutions the decisions that commit its security.
Illustration photo: Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam, Libnanews archive. This image does not represent their interview of November 4, 2026.
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