BEIRUT — Lebanon’s new president has asked prominent diplomat and jurist Nawaf Salam to form the country’s new government after Salam was named prime minister by a large number of legislators Monday. The move apparently angered the Hezbollah group and its allies.

Salam is currently serving as the head of the International Court of Justice and his nomination was made by Western-backed groups as well as independents in the Lebanese parliament. Salam has the support of Saudi Arabia and Western countries as well. Hezbollah legislators abstained from naming any candidate for the prime minister’s post.

People celebrated in the streets of Beirut with fireworks amid hopes that his nomination and last week’s election of army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun as president would help release billions of dollars of investments and loans by foreign donors.

Salam will have a difficult mission ahead of him following the truce with Israel that caused widespread destruction in the Mediterranean nation and weakened the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

– The Associated Press