Cabinet of Nawaf Salam
In one of his first acts as president, Aoun nominated Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice, as Prime Minister of Lebanon after winning the majority of votes by the members of parliament. Hezbollah's parliamentary leader Mohammad Raad stated that Hezbollah "extended its hand" by helping to secure Aoun's election only to find the "hand cut off" accusing the opposition of fragmentation and exclusion from power in Lebanon. Salam and Aoun's election is seen as a manifestation of Hezbollah's diminished influence in Lebanese politics, partly due to the group's military and financial losses in the conflict with Israel and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. Aoun formally appointed Salam as Prime Minister on 8 February 2025.
Hezbollah, facing regional pressures and internal challenges, expressed willingness to discuss its disarmament, contingent upon Israel's withdrawal from contested territories in southern Lebanon and the cessation of military strikes. Aoun emphasized direct talks between the presidency and Hezbollah to establish "modalities" for transferring weapons to state control. He stated that he aims to make 2025 the year of "state monopoly on arms". The Lebanese Army, under Aoun's direction, was tasked with confiscating weapons and dismantling unauthorized military facilities in southern Lebanon. This is in line with the ceasefire agreement following the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which requires the army to extend state authority and remove all unauthorized arms caches and outposts, regardless of the group controlling them.
In his speech on July 31, 2025 in honor of the Lebanese Army’s 80th anniversary, he addressed all parties emphasizing the historic opportunity for the disarmament of Hezbollah, while restoring and reinforcing state sovereignty. During the visit of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Aoun expressed his thoughts telling Larijani that Lebanon rejects any foreign intervention in its domestic affairs. Only Lebanon and its army are responsible for the state.
On March 2, 2026, Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in retaliation for the Israeli attacks on Iran, causing Israel to conduct airstrikes against the organization in Lebanon, sparking the 2026 Lebanon war. He condemned the attacks of Hezbollah on Israel, saying they undermine Lebanon’s efforts to avoid dangerous confrontations and pull the country into broader regional wars. He later stated that a recent cabinet decision gives the Lebanese state sole authority over war and peace matters, prohibiting any illegal military or security actions. He stated that the Lebanese Army and security forces are tasked with enforcing this decision nationwide. Aoun also urged the Quintet committee to pressure Israel to stop attacks on Lebanon and reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to ceasefire provisions while expressing readiness to resume negotiations with civilian and international involvement. On a CNN interview in early June 2026, Aoun said that the Lebanese people are fed up with war between Hezbollah and Israel. He then continued and said that he will do whatever it takes to cease Iran's use of Lebanon as a bargaining chip against Israel and the US. “It’s not your country, it’s our country,” he said addressing the IRGC.
President Aoun will meet President Trump on July 21, 2026. His main goal will be to secure American investment, although Washington will demand that he disarm Hezbollah, according to The Economist. "It will struggle to attract donors and investors unless it defangs Hizbullah, yet its strategy for doing so relies on those same donors and investors," referring to the Lebanese government. "Untangling the knot will mean doing everything at once—disarmament, reform and reconstruction—in a country that has long struggled to do anything at all."
