The US Senate confirmed last Thursday the appointment of Lisa Johnson as the new US Ambassador to Lebanon. She will take up her diplomatic duties at the beginning of January.
The (current) US Ambassador, Dorothy Shea, will leave Lebanon at the end of this year after completing her diplomatic duties in Beirut, and Johnson is expected to arrive in early January.
In view of the presidential vacancy, Johnson will serve as the Chargé d’Affaires at the American Embassy in Beirut until the election of a president, to whom she will present her credentials.
Lebanon has been without a head of state since October 31, 2022, and all attempts to unblock the presidential election have been unsuccessful, notably due to the inability of the various blocs to agree on a candidate, compounded by the obstinacy of the Moumanaa (pro-Hezbollah) axis to impose a candidate of its choice.
