Berri says Salam PM of all Lebanese not just of 'one or two'

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Monday that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is the prime minister of all Lebanon, and that the government includes everyone, after change MP Firas Hamdan said that Hezbollah and Amal ministers must resign if they don't like Salam.

Hamdan spoke during a legislative session that was adjourned after the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb MPs walked out of parliament, stripping the session of its quorum over a clash on the electoral law and the rights of expats to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The change MP said that targeting Salam and accusing him of collaborating with Israel "is not allowed".

Last week, thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered at a scenic overlook on Beirut’s coast and projected images of the group’s former longtime leader on the iconic arched Raouche rock to commemorate his deaths in an Israeli airstrike a year ago, despite an apparent attempt by Salam to halt the planned light show.

"If they don't like the Prime Minister, they should resign from the government," Hamdan said, accusing Hezbollah and Amal of "dividing the country".

"Fear God," Berri responded. "Salam is the PM of all the Lebanese, not just of one or two."