War in Lebanon 'was imposed upon us', PM Nawaf Salam says

AFP / France 24
by Joumana Fehmi
March 27, 2026
3 min read

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Lebanese PM Nawaf Salam says the Israeli-Hezbollah war was imposed on Lebanon after Hezbollah retaliated for Iran's supreme leader's assassination.

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Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in a France 24 interview that the war in Lebanon was "imposed upon us," attributing the conflict to Hezbollah's rocket fire rather than Israeli aggression. Salam suggested Lebanon could have avoided the Israeli offensive had the militant group not retaliated for the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The statement reflects internal divisions over responsibility for the escalating regional conflict, with the Lebanese government attempting to distance itself from Hezbollah's actions despite the group's deep roots in Lebanese politics. Salam's comments underscore tensions between Lebanon's government and the Iranian-backed militant organization that has drawn the country into direct military confrontation with Israel. The remarks come as Israeli operations continue in Lebanon, part of the broader Middle East conflict stemming from the October 2023 Israel-Hamas war.

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