Lebanon’s govt wins confidence vote, says only army can defend nation in war

Unlike previous statements, it did not include the phrase “armed resistance,” which had been seen as legitimizing Hezbollah’s possession of weapons outside of state control.

 Lebanon’s new government on Wednesday, February, 26 won a confidence vote in Parliament, with the support of Hezbollah’s bloc, even though the government statement adopted took a swipe at the group’s weapons.

Ninety-five out of 128 lawmakers supported the government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, a prominent jurist who previously headed the International Court of Justice. He was appointed last month to form a new government after a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah, which killed over 4,000 people and caused widespread destruction.

The government statement adopted said that only Lebanon’s armed forces should defend the country in case of war. Unlike previous statements, it did not include the phrase “armed resistance,” which had been seen as legitimizing Hezbollah’s possession of weapons outside of state control.

Hezbollah has kept its weapons over the past decades saying they are necessary to defend the country against Israel. Calls for the group’s disarmament, however, intensified during the latest war, which ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on November 27, 2024.

Hezbollah did not support Salam’s bid to be prime minister. But Hezbollah’s parliamentary leader, Mohammad Raad, on Tuesday, February 25 announced his bloc’s confidence in his Cabinet.