Lebanese premier seeks support for 'difficult' talks with Israel

Lebanese Premier Nawaf Salam on Friday called for Arab and international backing for what he described as "difficult" negotiations with Israel, warning that his country faces its most grave crisis since independence. Speaking at a ceremony held by the Al-Maqasid Association to honor its former president Faisal Sinno, Salam emphasized the need for national unity without "exclusion or coercion" to reinforce state institutions.

UN mission request

"Any real rescue of Lebanon today is impossible without a clear return to the logic of the state," Salam said, adding that he would approach international forums to request "the dispatch of a UN mission to gather evidence and investigate the crimes committed by Israel." The premier's remarks coincided with Washington's announcement of a 45-day ceasefire extension following what US officials described as "highly productive" talks between the parties.

State 'treated as spoils of war'

"Our country is going through the most dangerous crisis since the establishment of the Lebanese state," Salam noted. "For many years, the state has been treated as the spoils of war, not as a framework that unites all Lebanese." Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have killed more than 2,950 people, injured nearly 9,000 and displaced over 1.6 million — roughly one-fifth of the country's population, according to Lebanese officials.