The new US Ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa Johnson, met with the former President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, as part of her introductory visits.
Discussing the current political context in Lebanon and developments in the region, Johnson reportedly told the former head of state, “Let your ally (i.e., Hezbollah) know that it is necessary to end military operations in the south of the country to spare Lebanon the consequences of the war in Gaza.” To which Aoun reportedly replied, “He is no longer my ally. I no longer have contact with Hezbollah, and therefore I can’t pass on the message.”
A member of the opposition commented on these remarks, believing that “the ambassador wanted to verify her information that relations between Michel Aoun and the pro-Iranian formation have almost broken down since the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement holds Hezbollah responsible for the failure of his mandate.”
It should be noted that the former president received today, Thursday, in Rabieh, a delegation from Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, chaired by Mohammad Raad and including Ali Ammar and Hassan Fadlallah.
