Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam assumed office this January with a lot of fanfare. The former leading judge at the International Court of Justice was lauded for presiding over the court’s ruling that Israel was plausibly committing genocide in Gaza. As prime minister, he pledged to “rescue, reform and rebuild” Lebanon.

But after more than four months in office, Salam has failed to deliver on domestic reforms, while increasingly advocating for a US-friendly agenda in line with Israel’s interests.

In a series of highly publicised speeches and high-profile media interviews, Salam has repeated worn-out cliches about resuscitating Lebanon’s economy, while dismissing armed resistance - both Palestinian and Lebanese - and suing for “peace” followed by normalisation with Israel. His posturing has reached the point of irking football fans, who chanted “Zionist, Zionist” upon his attendance at a match last week.

On the economic front, Salam has not initiated a single developmental project of worth, nor has he implemented monetary or financial policies aimed at addressing the root cause of Lebanon’s financial collapse or alleviating high inflation and unemployment rates.