Salam: Negotiations are not surrender... and a promise to the people of the South

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed "the need to intensify diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire," saying: "What we witnessed is not merely an Israeli expansion and crossing, for Israel does not target specific sites but adopts a policy of total destruction, and what it is doing is not only a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty but a process of erasing history and memory."

Salam added, in a speech delivered from the Serail: "We are determined to stop the war and fortify our country and not turn it into a mailbox and an open arena for the conflicts of others," saying: "This war was not our choice but was imposed on us, and we are determined to fortify our country and protect the future of our children in it, so we prevent it from being turned again into a mailbox for regional or international messages, and hence we went to negotiations. They are not guaranteed results and are not surrender but the least costly option for our country, and the state leads the negotiations today on behalf of all Lebanese, and the decision of war and peace remains a national decision."

He also stressed that "the path of negotiation is not easy, but it will be faster if everyone unites under the umbrella of the state."

Salam addressed the people of the South, saying: "You are not alone, and your pain is the pain of all Lebanon, and trust that the Lebanese state will spare no effort to achieve a ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal, the safe return of the people to their homes, and reconstruction."