Filling the Tank

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun designated Nawaf Salam, head of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as the country’s new prime minister this week, signaling a major shift in Lebanon’s political dynamics and a blow to Hezbollah’s long-standing influence, Al Jazeera reported.

On Monday, Salam secured the backing of 84 out of 128 lawmakers, including Christian, Druze, and Sunni factions, as well as some previously aligned with Hezbollah.

His election follows that of Aoun – a US-backed former army commander – as president last week, marking the end of a two-year political vacuum and highlighting the waning influence of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which had supported caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Known as a respected judge and diplomat with extensive international experience,

Salam’s backers view him as a reformist figure capable of addressing Lebanon’s manifold crises, including economic collapse and the rebuilding of areas devastated during the recent Hezbollah-Israel conflict.

The armed Shiite group has been severely weakened because of the war and the ousting of Syrian President Bashar Assad last month, an ally and who was close to Iran. Hezbollah now faces a US-brokered ceasefire requiring its withdrawal from southern Lebanon as the national army takes control.

Analysts said that Salam’s election underscores the ongoing power struggle within the country’s sectarian power-sharing system, Reuters noted. They also described these developments as a resurgence of US and Saudi influence in Lebanon, countering years of Iranian dominance via Hezbollah.

Even so, Salam’s government will face significant challenges, including postwar reconstruction and the implementation of reforms to stabilize the country’s economy, which has been in freefall since 2019.

Meanwhile, there are also concerns about sectarian divisions after Hezbollah lawmakers accused their opponents of seeking to exclude the group from power.

The group and its ally, the Amal Movement, did not name a prime minister candidate, a move suggesting that they do not plan to participate in Salam’s cabinet.

Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad lamented that the group had “extended its hand” by electing Aoun as president last week, only to find the “hand cut.”