Headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati, a Cabinet session was held at the Grand Serail, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Chamian and the Ministers of: Education and Higher Education Judge Abbas Halabi, Media Ziad Makari, Youth and Sports George Kallas, Finance Youssef Khalil, Industry George Bouchikian, Tourism Walid Nassar, Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi, Health Firas Abiad, Environment Nasser Yassin, Communications Johnny Al-Qarm, Culture Mohamed Wissam Murtada, Labor Mustafa Bayram, Agriculture Abbas Al-Haj Hassan, Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh, Displaced Persons Issam Sharaf El-Din, and Economy Amin Salameh, along with General Director of the Presidency Antoine Chuqair and Secretary-General of the Cabinet Judge Mahmoud Makki.
At the beginning of the Cabinet session, Mikati stated: "With the escalation of war and the increasing tension and the Israeli enemy's insistence on committing massacres, we affirm as a government our commitment to Lebanon's right to liberate its land and preserve its sovereignty. We strongly condemn the massacre at the 'Tabe'en School' committed by Israel against innocent people that resulted in the death of over a hundred martyrs, and we call on global conscience to act to stop this organized criminal genocide."
He added: "After more than ten months of war on Lebanon and Gaza, we are still paying a heavy price in the lives of our youth, our people, our towns, and our economy, insisting on stopping the war and affirming Lebanon's clear position regarding strict adherence to the contents of Resolution 1701 and its full implementation by everyone, as it is the gateway to any solution. We are faced with anxious opportunities for diplomacy that is moving to prevent war and stop the Israeli aggression, as international rounds with foreign leaders and Arab brothers have intensified due to the seriousness of the Lebanese and regional situation and its danger to the region's security. What concerns us in context with preventing war and stopping the fire is halting Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza, and the destruction, displacement, and killing they cause, all witnessed by the world."
He continued: "We in the government continue to raise our voices and strongly condemn the aggressions; we work to achieve justice and will not hesitate to deploy all our capabilities and friendships to protect our country and condemn Israel's criminal actions, raising our voice to awaken global conscience. Israeli obstinacy threatens efforts to stop the war and pays no heed to the initiatives of good mediators."
Mikati reiterated "our ongoing call to expedite the election of a President of the Republic to complete the constitutional institutions. We support the call for dialogue for the election of a President and to foster understanding and collaboration to reach a presidential election session as soon as possible. In these difficult circumstances, we need to enhance unity among the Lebanese rather than engage in opportunistic and fruitless debates, as heard from some individuals. What the government is doing is preventing a complete collapse of the state structure and maintaining the productivity of public institutions, but the injustice in this matter is regrettable and unacceptable. To avoid further tension in this critical situation, I have decided to postpone the item related to filling vacancies in some administrations for a while, but this cannot continue as administration requires filling the vacancies that threaten its productivity."
Mikati stated: "Economic stability is a strategic priority through which we work according to guaranteed and realistic plans and legislation, and we once again warn against the risks of exploiting circumstances to manipulate prices and increasing school and university tuition and insurance fees, which impose burdens on citizens. I commend the role of security agencies in maintaining order, especially regarding uncovering drug networks, and I call upon security agencies, official entities, and relevant ministries to act immediately to prevent economic violations against people."
For his part, Finance Minister Youssef Khalil stated during the Cabinet session: "The credits for the emergency plan are available, and there is a possibility to provide advances to the relevant ministries."
