Salam: Tripoli is not alone and my heart is with the south

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Monday that "Tripoli is not alone" as he inspected a building that collapsed Saturday in Tripoli's al-Qobbeh, killing at least two people, including a 66-year-old man and his daughter.

Emergency crews were still trying to rescue the last missing person who remains buried in rubble, after they managed to pull a mother and her 14-year-old son out alive during intense search operations.

Local officials, including the Mayor of Tripoli and several MPs, had warned that 105 buildings in the city are in danger of immediate collapse and require urgent evacuation. 700 others are at high risk.

Salam visited the survivors, vowing to find a radical solution for Tripoli's dilapidated buildings, which might include providing alternative housing for the residents.

The building in al-Qobbeh had been partially evacuated before the collapse after large cracks appeared, but one family returned because they had nowhere else to go, as the municipality in the impoverished city of Tripoli does not provide a shelter to the residents of the dilapidated buildings.

From Tripoli, Salam said his "heart was also with the south", as Israel intensified its strikes, killing Sunday at least two people and wounding at least five others, in a series of violent strikes on south and east Lebanon.

"I will soon visit our people there to announce a package of reconstruction projects that we will begin implementing as quickly as possible," Salam said.

In August 2025, Lebanon signed a $250 million loan agreement with the World Bank for the reconstruction of war-hit regions in south and east Lebanon.

The World Bank estimates the costs of reconstruction and recovery at $11 billion. The initial loan is designed to support the urgent repair and reconstruction of critical public infrastructure and lifeline services.