Lebanese PM urges Taif Agreement “full” enforcement

Shafaq News – Rashaya

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called, on Sunday, for fully reviving and enforcing the Taif Agreement, Lebanon’s key reconciliation accord that ended the 15-year civil war in 1989.

Touring the western Bekaa town of Rashaya, Salam criticized “failures” to implement crucial parts of the agreement, including expanded decentralization, balanced regional development, and consolidating all weapons under state authority, warning that Lebanon’s stability depends on these reforms.

He also stressed that genuine peace requires Israel to withdraw fully from Lebanese territory and stop hostile activities that violate the ceasefire brokered in November 2024, which paused heavy fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

Earlier today, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, addressing crowds during Ashura commemorations in Beirut — which honor the martyrdom of Imam Hussein bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE — rejected international demands to disarm. He argued the large turnout sent a “strong message” to critics predicting Hezbollah’s support would wane amid regional and domestic pressures.