Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has called for national unity and the full implementation of the Taif Agreement (the 1989 accord that ended Lebanon's civil war and remains the basis of its power-sharing system), describing a strong and just state as the only true protection for the country. Speaking directly to the Lebanese people, Salam addressed the pain caused by recent Israeli strikes on 8 April that killed more than 300 people and wounded around 1,000 others, vowing that the south would never again be left alone to face destruction and pledging to pursue a full Israeli withdrawal, the return of prisoners, reconstruction of destroyed villages, and the safe return of displaced civilians. Salam stressed that national unity is not a slogan but an urgent necessity, warning that Lebanon's historic diversity risks becoming a source of division, and calling for the Taif Agreement's provision on extending state authority over all Lebanese territory — which he said has never been implemented since the accord was signed — to be enforced so that no individual or group remains above the law.