Salim: Our pledge is for the state to remain present in southern Lebanon

Prime Minister Najib Salim wrote on X: "On the eve of the anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, we remember those who carried the cause of the south from capital to capital, warning that it should not remain a stage for conflicts beyond its reach. He expressed this most clearly when he said: 'Only southern Lebanon paid the price,' rejecting a reality where southerners bear the burdens of confrontation and war while decisions are made elsewhere. It was for the south that his recent Arab tour took place, and for a Lebanon he envisioned as master of its own land, capable through its state and institutions to protect its people, he went to Libya before disappearing with his companions Sheikh Muhammad Yaqub and Professor Abbas Badr al-Din."

"In this anniversary, I affirm that the south will not be left alone, and its people will never again pay the price for others' conflicts and decisions. Our pledge is that the southerner remains in his land, that those displaced return safely and honorably to their homes and villages, and that the south not remain an open arena for wars decided by none other than Lebanese and their state. Our pledge is that the state which Imam Musa al-Sadr demanded presence in the south is indeed present: through its army, institutions, services, and development; protecting its land and people, and holding sole authority over decisions of war and peace. Our responsibility is to work toward ending the Israeli occupation and halting its attacks, restoring what has been destroyed, and securing the return of southern residents to their villages, and establishing full state sovereignty over all its territory. Lebanon's sovereignty is incomplete so long as part of its land remains occupied or violated, just as it remains incomplete if the decision on war and peace lies solely with no one but its state. The Imam Musa al-Sadr desired a south that would never be abandoned, and a Lebanon that would never abandon its state. This is our responsibility today, and our pledge."