Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber: “Our priority is building the state and ensuring the monopoly of arms in its hands”

BEIRUT — With each passing day, Iran-backed Hezbollah is losing more and more of the political cover it long relied on to maintain its grip over Lebanon — a grip that extended over the people, the nation’s resources, and the critical decisions of war and peace. In recent months, and especially since the government reaffirmed its determination to remove all illegal arms, Hezbollah has faced defections from once-unshakable allies. These include not only Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, but now also Finance Minister Yassine Jaber — a figure associated with the Amal Movement, Hezbollah’s partner in the so-called “Shiite Duo” — whose latest remarks were seen as another blow to the group’s dominance.

Jaber, who had been absent from the last two decisive cabinet sessions due to travel abroad, spoke during the inauguration of the “Lebanese Expatriate House” in Nabatieh. “The fast-paced developments we are witnessing have brought us together amid a sorrowful atmosphere for beloved martyrs who gave their lives for this land — most recently, six of the Lebanese Army’s finest,” he said. “We lost men we count on to protect not only the South and its people, but all of Lebanon.”

Despite his absence from the two cabinet sessions, Jaber stressed:

“My positions, which everyone knows, are clear and unequivocal. Protecting our people is the foundation of all foundations and a top priority. National unity, forged with dignity and complete sovereignty — not subject to any diminution, even by a single grain — is one of the constants that rises to the level of sanctity. Today, I reaffirm my steadfast position since the very first day I entered the government: our priority is to build the state, strengthen all its institutions, activate their role, and enhance them — foremost among them the Lebanese Army and all military forces — with the exclusive possession of arms in their hands. This was affirmed in the ministerial statement, and it is a matter of consensus.”

In a veiled reference to attempts by some parties to obstruct the implementation of government decisions, Jaber posed a pointed question, “Will others allow us to build the state we demand, work for, and hold on to?”