A Kuwaiti minister: To our people in Nabatieh, Sidon, and Arsal, your calls have reached us, and the time has come for the state to return to the South.

Republic President General Joseph Aoun stated, “We have received appeals from our people in Nabatieh, Sidon, and Arsal. I wish to address them by saying: We have listened to your appeals, and we stand by your side. We can certainly not be distant from you. Nor can we do anything less than exert our utmost efforts to remain by your side and assist you, securing all the prerequisites for your resilience to the greatest extent possible. The time has come for the state to return to the South. This is our collective responsibility and our duty toward our people, for the South is the fundamental part of Lebanon, and every ministry must contribute what it has to affirm our steadfast support for our people without any negligence.”

President Aoun was speaking at a cabinet meeting, attended by its chairman, Dr. Nawaf Salam, at Baabda Palace. He noted, “It gives me pleasure to begin the session by pointing to a positive development that instills great hope in the hearts of Lebanese citizens: the laying of the cornerstone for the expansion of Beirut Port. This is a gesture of goodwill for all, facilitated by the Minister of Public Works and Transport, and we hope it will be followed by additional steps in the same framework.”

Addressing the ministers, Aoun said, “I ask you to act with maximum speed and seize the opportunities available to us to serve all Lebanese citizens, without resorting to narrow-minded interests. There are those who are eager and willing to help us, and we welcome this. Our task is merely to coordinate among the relevant ministries to capitalize on all opportunities so that the anticipated projects can launch. We must harness the positive momentum directed toward us for the benefit of Lebanon. Today, the Minister of Energy briefed us on positive developments regarding electricity; we must leverage these.”

In response, residents of Arsal returned the greeting in a statement of “thanks,” calling for “the establishment of a fixed and permanent Lebanese Army center on the outskirts of the town, in areas such as Al-Hara Tahta and elsewhere, given the strategic importance of this location in enhancing security and stability in the town and its surroundings.”

They affirmed that “the presence of the Lebanese Army is not merely a security measure, but a message of reassurance and confidence in the state.” They added, “At the same time, we emphasize that we are against the language of betrayal, accusations, and division, and against turning legitimate demands into material for political squabbles. We call on everyone to adopt a language of dialogue and logic, and to read the new reality as it is, free from tension and accusations.” They pointed out that “their demand is clear and simple: The Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions, foremost among them the Lebanese Army, are the guarantee of security and stability.”

Earlier, President Salam said during the ceremony for laying the cornerstone for the expansion of the container terminal at Beirut Port, “We should not view the container terminal expansion as an isolated construction project, but rather as part of a comprehensive vision for the future of Beirut Port. Our ambition is for the port to reclaim its role in transit and re-export activities, and to once again become an advanced logistics hub in the Eastern Mediterranean, serving Lebanon and neighboring Arab countries, and benefiting from the reshaping of supply chains and the growth of regional trade.”

He continued, “The development of Beirut Port is inseparable from the project of rebuilding the state. A public facility cannot succeed if it remains hostage to ambiguity in administration, exceptions in implementation, or interventions in operations.”