How Berri reined in Hezbollah's campaigns against Salam
Speaker Nabih Berri is pushing for pacification between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Hezbollah and a large segment of southerners, sources close to Berri told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
This was reflected in Salam's visit to Nabatieh on Friday and was reaffirmed in his televised statements on Sunday evening on NBN, the TV channel affiliated with the Amal Movement led by Berri. In these statements, Salam affirmed the government's position on the Israeli withdrawal from the South and its commitment to restoring state authority and activating its institutions in the region.
Salam's meetings on Monday carried indications of a swift move toward reactivating the state's presence in the South. Salam also visited Berri, where they discussed the general situation as well as political and military developments.
According to a statement issued by the Parliamentary Speakership, the two also discussed a set of issues related to addressing pressing social and economic conditions. Additionally, they reviewed the results of Salam's visits to the United States, his tour in the city of Nabatieh, and the projects he launched.
Salam also met with the head of the Council for the South, Hashem Haidar, and discussed the council's conditions and work progress. They also evaluated Salam's recent visit to Nabatieh, with Haidar briefing Salam on the projects the council is working to implement, especially those announced during the visit, as well as the steps taken to initiate them.
Salam's visit to Nabatieh on Friday was his third to the South within three months. Notably, it appeared well-coordinated, with public figures participating in it. He was received by MP Hani Qobeissi of Amal, alongside Minister of Finance Yassine Jaber, who hails from Nabatieh. Notably, mayors of Hezbollah-affiliated municipalities in the villages of the Nabatieh district also participated in receiving him.
Despite the absence of Hezbollah's political representatives from receiving Salam, no position was issued by the party against the visit or against Salam himself -- unlike previous instances -- which carries indicators of a calm pushed for by Berri.
Sources informed on the visit stated that the tour and meetings in Nabatieh "repaired a large part of the relationship between Salam and the people of the area." They pointed out that the absence of MP Mohammad Raad, Hezbollah’s representative in Nabatieh, "was due to his non-attendance at social events for specific security reasons." At the same time, they noted that "Nabatieh municipalities affiliated with Hezbollah participated in the reception, while opposition sentiments appeared marginal."
In a further sign of calm from Hezbollah's side, MP Hassan Fadlallah, a member of the party's parliamentary bloc, stated on Monday: "We support strengthening the role of the state in the South and support its taking of full responsibility.”
“However, this begins with expelling the occupation, stopping the aggression, and halting this bulldozing and destruction in our villages," Fadlallah added, demanding that "words be matched with actions."
"We support every effort and every development initiative by state institutions in the South," the MP added, calling for the disbursement of the $250 million World Bank loan -- a portion of which is allocated to the South -- and for the government to increase its spending on the South in the 2027 budget.
Unlike Hezbollah, which attacked the Prime Minister over the past months, communication was never cut off between Salam and Berri, who is pushing toward activating state institutions in the South, establishing stability, securing a ceasefire, ensuring the return of southerners to their villages, and providing services that strengthen their resilience. This comes despite Berri's opposing stance toward direct negotiations with Israel and his earlier pronouncement of the death of the "framework agreement."
Sources in the Amal Movement told Asharq al-Awsat that Berri is consistent with himself and his demands for the presence of the state and its institutions in the South. They noted that Salam's visit "confirmed a direction within the executive authority to activate this presence, and it is natural for representatives of the Amal Movement and the Development and Liberation bloc to meet them halfway." They added that the Prime Minister pledged to activate government and official institutions despite the pressing economic situation he acknowledged.
The sources said that Salam's visit "soothed the wounds of the southerners.”
“It appeared that the Prime Minister came to Nabatieh to offer condolences to the people of the South and open a door to activating the state's presence, which helps support people's resilience -- and that is the bare minimum," they said.
They also highlighted Salam's frankness regarding the limited resources and the fact that reconstruction requires international support, as the Lebanese state is unable to undertake the task on its own and lacks the capacity to execute it.
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