Qatar Pledges Energy Aid and Military Support for Lebanon

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Beirut on Thursday and Friday to provide economic and diplomatic support to the Lebanese government. During meetings with President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Al Thani pledged to help revive the Lebanese economy through the reconstruction of southern Lebanon and the rehabilitation of the electricity sector.

As part of this effort, Al Thani announced that QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies have agreed to jointly develop a solar power plant. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam confirmed that Qatar will fund and implement the project at no cost to the Lebanese state. Additionally, Qatar committed to continued financial support for the Lebanese army.

On the security front, Al Thani reiterated Qatar's support for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from occupied territories and the subsequent takeover of those areas by the Lebanese army. He noted that Qatar is coordinating with the United States to facilitate the return of displaced persons following the Israel-Hezbollah war. President Aoun urged Qatar to press Israel to halt aggressions and implement a U.S.-sponsored framework agreement. In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that military operations in the security zone would continue to eliminate threats, linking any withdrawal to the disarming of Hezbollah.