Lebanese PM discusses ceasefire, Israel dialogue with US envoy

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam held talks with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa on May 1, focusing on strengthening the ceasefire with Israel and prospects for direct dialogue between the two countries, amid renewed U.S. calls for engagement, Al Arabiya reports.

According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy issued late on April 30, Washington is encouraging closer contact between the sides.

“Direct engagement between Lebanon and Israel, two neighboring countries that should have never been at war, can mark the beginning of a national revival," the embassy wrote on X. 

The embassy also suggested the possibility of high-level diplomacy, stating that “a direct meeting between President Aoun and Prime Minister Netanyahu, facilitated by President Trump, would give Lebanon the chance to secure concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory—guaranteed by the United States.”

Separately, Salam addressed Lebanon’s workers in a Labour Day message posted on the X platform on May 1, outlining the government’s domestic priorities alongside its territorial and political goals.

“On Labor Day, I address all the workers of Lebanon—those who rise every day, despite their anxieties and hardships, and continue to work under difficult conditions that our country has never known before. [...] I am fully aware of the extent of the suffering many of you are enduring—job losses, declining purchasing power, and the daily pressures weighing heavily on your shoulders.”

He added: “From a position of responsibility, I affirm that we will continue to work diligently to improve your living conditions, reclaim every inch of our occupied land, continue reforms, develop the economy to create new jobs, restore stability, and set the country on the path to genuine recovery.”

By Sabina Mammadli