Several security officials fear that the case of the Army’s Commander-in-Chief Joseph Aoun will not succeed like the former Director General of General Security Abbas Ibrahim had before his retirement last March, despite efforts made by both the Council of Ministers and Parliament. All parliamentary and governmental attempts have failed.
According to information obtained by This Is Beirut, Speaker of the House Nabih Berri would like Joseph Aoun’s term of office to be extended by the caretaker government, even though those opposed to this might consider it a “non-existent act.”
Although Hezbollah is not opposed to this measure, the party is not enthusiastic about completely compromising its alliance with Gebran Bassil. According to sources within the alliance, Hezbollah officials say they “still have time to take a position” and are awaiting developments. “The decision on whether or not to extend the Commander’s mandate has not yet matured,” an official close to the matter told This Is Beirut, as demonstrated by the latest session of the Council of Ministers.
On Thursday, while the Lebanese expected at least a mention of this issue outside the agenda, no minister alluded to it, not even caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. The meeting between Ali Hassan Khalil (political assistant to Speaker Berri) and Hassan Khalil (political assistant to the head of Hezbollah) with Mikati on Wednesday evening, prior to the government meeting, failed to reach an agreement, according to information gathered by This Is Beirut.
