Lebanon forms new government for 1st time since 2022

By Stephanie Rady and Rania Abu Shamala

BEIRUT (AA) - Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam formed a new government on Saturday, the first since 2022.

President Joseph Aoun said in a statement that he had accepted the resignation of former caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and signed a decree with Salam to form the new government of 24 ministers.

Aoun was elected president on Jan. 9, ending more than two years of a presidential vacuum in Lebanon due to political disagreements.

Days after his election, Aoun invited Salam, a judge with the International Court of Justice, to form a new government.