What they said

US foreign policy is not shaped by Democrats alone or Republicans alone, but is based on the convergence of both parties around American interest

We knew that the first test inside the House of Representatives, namely the election of the Speaker, would put us in a different position from the "Democratic Gathering," because each team has its own position.

The meeting falls within the context of the relationship between the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party since the Mountain Reconciliation, and it is natural for meetings between the two sides to recur. We have previously visited Maarab, and communication between us is permanent and ongoing.

Europe is paying the price for supporting Israel

In the previous two wars, we did not do that, but this time we will not allow Europe's assistance to America in launching an attack on Iran to pass without consequences

If America uses its bases in Europe, including Italy and Germany, Iran's missiles will be launched toward Europe

Any defect and any delay in that could negatively affect the establishment of this state and the safety of citizens, especially since there are those who can push Lebanon into adventures and wars that the Lebanese do not want and do not desire and that bring no benefit to the Lebanese, and we go from loss to loss, from destruction to destruction, and from death to death. Lebanon needs life, needs renaissance, needs peace and stability. All the things that have happened and may happen again must be reversed, and the Lebanese state, the current government and the political authority are responsible today for addressing and avoiding this matter by extending the law and imposing it on all Lebanese equally.

I was honored to visit His Eminence Metropolitan Elias, and it was a very valuable visit in terms of thought and following up on the country’s affairs and Orthodox matters. Today we are passing through a very delicate and difficult stage in which Lebanon needs solidarity and the citizenship of all its citizens, and action in the spirit and practice of citizenship. Today the country’s sovereignty is the most important, and that the state be effective and apply the laws to all Lebanese equally without exception, and that the judiciary be the separator between those under the law and those outside the law, and that all state apparatuses be harnessed to extend the sovereignty and authority of the state and the rule of law over everyone.

Progress in addressing the financial gap constitutes an essential step toward restoring confidence in the banking sector and giving banks the necessary impetus to activate their role in financing the economy.

As soon as the budget is discussed and approved, work will begin to complete the legislative path of the financial gap draft law.

Increasing electricity production alone is not enough to address the sector’s crisis unless it is accompanied by improving collection, controlling waste, and enhancing management efficiency.

It is forbidden to defame an entire community

Iran's extending its control over the Strait of Hormuz and eliminating US military bases in regional countries, although it was a reaction to American aggression and its crimes in the third imposed war, is at the same time considered a primary jihad against arrogance at the regional level, a jihad whose dimensions will expand to a much broader scope if the attacks are repeated.

Anyone who still clings to the slightest hope that the 'hegemony system' will change its behavior or witness partisan or factional shifts, or who believes that offering concessions to the United States might push it to abandon its hostility to the Iranian people, is completely deluded.

The meeting was important and positive, and we hope stability will take hold in Lebanon in general and in the south in particular.

The atmosphere of the meeting was very positive, and Prime Minister Salam expressed his satisfaction with the results achieved. We came today to the Grand Serail in fulfillment of what we agreed during his visit to Nabatieh, when we agreed to return after work began to brief him on what had been achieved. We thanked him for his visit and his interest in the city's conditions. We also discussed completing the other projects promised by Prime Minister Salam and ways to follow them up with the competent authorities to push the work forward. We also addressed a number of administrative matters related to the Nabatieh municipality that require follow-up with the Ministry of Interior and the relevant official bodies. We will continue examining some of these files during an upcoming visit to the Council for Development and Reconstruction to review what has been completed and what remains.

The aim of this meeting was to brief Prime Minister Salam on what has been achieved regarding the proposals and ideas we presented during his visit to the city about a month ago. We reviewed the programs that have begun and the completion rates of projects overseen by both the South Council and the Council for Development and Reconstruction. We placed before the Prime Minister a detailed list of accomplishments and projects that have started implementation, accompanied by photos documenting the work on the ground before, during and after execution.

It's the economy, stupid

Restoring citizens' trust in the state is linked to its ability to apply the law and equality among all.

The issue of state management is as dangerous as the danger of Hezbollah's weapons and the Dahr el-Baidar explosives, and a deep re-reading of how the state is managed is necessary if we want our children to remain in this country.

The necessity of respecting constitutional and legal principles in approving legislation, and strengthening the oversight role of the Council, in a way that ensures the proper functioning of institutions and the achievement of the national interest.

I am worried about the next two months, about Trump's push toward policies including a nuclear strike in Iran and escalation in the Middle East

The U.S. has no need to use nuclear weapons against Iran.

An unforgivable sin

The state must bear its responsibilities, as people must not be made to pay the bill for electricity or water cuts if an institution does not pay what it owes

We approved measures to tighten [controls] on the issue of tax evasion internally or at the border, and this matter applies to everyone without exceptions

The immediate release of the full dues, stopping unfair deductions, and doing justice to the Fayhaa municipalities.

Al-Mina Municipality and the Union of Fayhaa Municipalities already suffer from an accumulated deficit, while Tripoli Municipality and the Union are threatened with halting work and closing their doors, knowing that the full dues are not enough to cover their needs.

The deduction of 80 percent of the dues of Fayhaa municipalities under the pretext of waste debts threatens their financial collapse and the paralysis of their services.

There is tangible progress and we hope the government will give us answers to what we demand, especially since the closing of the accounts has not yet reached parliament.