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Lebanon's financial recovery will rest on security and political reforms, economy minister says
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Amer Bisat, the Lebanese minister of Economy and Trade, speaks during an interview with Associated Press, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. - photo by AP Photo/Hussein Malla
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's moves to remove weapons from all non-state groups and assert full state control are as important as financial reforms if the economy is to recover after years of crisis, the economy minister said Thursday. “You need economic reforms, but you also need security and political reforms,” Amer Bisat told The Associated Press after a cabinet session in which the Lebanese military reported progress on a plan to disarm Hezbollah and non-state groups and expand deployment in southern Lebanon. “We’re moving, and we’re moving fairly decisively and clearly in that direction,” he said, adding that asserting full sovereignty to boost investor confidence goes beyond disarmament and military deployment in the south.