Qatar vows to help Lebanon rebuild, but only after government is formed
Qatari PM Al-Thani visits Beirut, promises economic support, urges Israel to keep to terms of ceasefire with Hezbollah

Qatar’s prime minister said during a visit to Beirut on Tuesday that Doha would help Lebanon rebuild after a devastating war between Israel and terror group Hezbollah, but only after a new government is formed.
Reeling from years of crisis and conflict, Lebanon has pinned hopes on wealthy Gulf states to fund reconstruction, with Qatar having been heavily involved in such efforts after the Second Lebanon War of 2006.
“When it comes to economic support and support for reconstruction, there is no doubt that the State of Qatar will be there,” Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told reporters after meeting Lebanon’s newly elected President Joseph Aoun.
“We look forward to ongoing efforts to form a government, and after that, we will discuss these files,” Al-Thani said, adding that he looked forward to forming “a strategic partnership” with Lebanon.
Al-Thani is set to meet other senior officials during what he described as a “visit of support,” including prime minister-designate Nawaf Salam, who has been tasked with forming a government, though efforts have stalled.
Qatar was among five countries, alongside the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, which lobbied heavily for Lebanon to elect a president last month and end a two-year vacuum due to political deadlock.

A fragile Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire has been in place since November 27, after more than a year of hostilities, including two months of all-out war. The conflict began with Hezbollah cross-border attacks on October 8, 2023, the day after the Palestinian terror group Hamas led thousands of terrorists in a devastating invasion of southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and triggering war in the Gaza Strip.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah said its attacks were to support Gaza. By the time the ceasefire came into effect, Israel had decimated Hezbollah’s leadership and depleted its fighting capabilities.
Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas are all avowed to destroy Israel.
Al-Thani said it was crucial for Israeli troops to “adhere to the agreement on the withdrawal… from southern Lebanon.”
He also called for implementing a Security Council resolution that states United Nations peacekeepers and the Lebanese army should be the only forces present in the country’s south.
Under the truce deal, Lebanon’s military was to deploy in the south alongside UN peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period.
Hezbollah was also to pull back its forces north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border — and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.

The withdrawal period was extended to February 18 after the original January 26 deadline was missed.
Israel has said that it needs to stay longer because the Lebanese army has not deployed to all areas of southern Lebanon, as agreed, to ensure that Hezbollah does not reestablish its presence there. The Lebanese army has said it cannot deploy until Israeli forces withdraw.
Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of violations of the truce deal.
On Thursday the IDF said it shot down a drone launched by Hezbollah for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect. Later that night, Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in eastern Lebanon.
Al-Thani also said Qatar would continue to provide humanitarian aid, alongside support for Lebanon’s cash-strapped army.
Washington is the main financial backer of Lebanon’s army but it also receives support from other countries including Qatar, which has granted in-kind and monetary aid.