For those mocking Salam for hiding don’t forget Berri’s man

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to Zawtar quickly turned into a political controversy, with some claiming he entered the area secretly.

Yet the delegation included Hashem Haidar, head of the Council for the South and a figure close to the Amal Movement and Nabih Berri. If the visit was secret, how was he part of it?

The real issue is not whether Berri knew about the visit, but that some still treat a prime minister’s visit to a Lebanese region as though it requires approval from the forces controlling it.

Instead of focusing on how Salam entered and who allowed him in, the debate should address the visit’s results, including the entry of the army and medical teams to recover bodies, followed by the residents.

This rhetoric shows that some still view the South as Hezbollah’s sphere of influence rather than a natural part of the Lebanese state