joseph aoun

Aoun in Riyadh: "An Opportunity to Reaffirm Strength of Bilateral Ties"

President Joseph Aoun declared upon his arrival in Saudi Arabia on Monday, during his first official visit abroad: “it is an opportunity to reaffirm the depth of Lebanese-Saudi relations and to express appreciation for the role played by the Kingdom in supporting Lebanon’s stability, safety, and constitutional institutions.”   Aoun ...

The President in Riyadh: Back to the Fundamentals

The President in Riyadh: Back to the Fundamentals Two brief yet decisive statements that speak volumes: “Lebanon has endured enough from other people’s wars” (on its territory); “The decision of war and peace must rest solely with the state.” President Joseph Aoun has repeated these words on multiple occasions, capturing with striking ...

President Aoun to Asharq Al-Awsat: Only the State Can Decide on War and Peace

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun outlined his presidential agenda in his first televised interview on Friday, broadcast on the platforms of the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat and Asharq News. The president stressed that “only the state can bear the responsibility for protecting Lebanon’s territory and people,” reaffirming his commitment to ...

President Aoun in KSA: Will He Succeed in Restoring Bilateral Ties?

For his first official visit abroad, President Joseph Aoun will head to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, then to Cairo for an extraordinary Arab League summit two days later. These visits could mark a turning point in Lebanon's diplomatic relations with the Arab world, particularly with Saudi Arabia, and potentially usher in a new era of bilateral ...

The Airport Incident and UNIFIL Assault: A Growing Number of Arrests

As promised by President Joseph Aoun, the attack on a UNIFIL patrol on the airport road and the burning of one of its vehicles "will not go unpunished." Security and judicial investigations have been launched, and seven individuals have been detained in connection with the incident. Some of the detainees also assaulted Lebanese Army officers and ...

Hezbollah Sends Messages to the State as It Seeks Justifications

The funeral of Hezbollah’s leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine was not just about their burial. The party, backed by Iran, mobilized hundreds of thousands to signal to the Lebanese state that despite heavy losses, it remains the strongest force. Any attempt to disarm it will face significant challenges. A well-informed source ...

Dormant Cells Could Be Activated to Discredit President Aoun's Mandate

Dormant cells in certain areas and in some Palestinian camps might be activated to destabilize Lebanon during the mandate of President Joseph Aoun, who emphasized the state’s monopoly over weapons in his inaugural speech, according to a security report obtained by opposition politicians.   “There are fears of an attempt to use dormant cells ...

Misleading Appearances

A relentless mobilization and exploitation of the popular masses on Lebanese soil. The objective: to offset the massive strategic losses suffered in recent months. This appears to be the defining feature of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ approach—and, by extension, that of Hezbollah, its frontline proxy—in the coming phase. Neither ...

Senator Ronny Jackson Calls for a Security Monopoly by the Lebanese Army

A delegation from the US Congress, led by Senator Ronny Jackson, met on Saturday with the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, in the presence of the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa Johnson. At the end of the meeting, Jackson expressed the United States’ desire to see a new phase of peace and stability in ...

Tourism Chief Warns Against Instability

The President of the Federation of Tourist Unions and the Hoteliers’ Union, Pierre Achkar, has raised concerns over recent street violence and road blockades, particularly those disrupting access to Beirut’s International Airport (BIA). He cautioned that such unrest could jeopardize the tourism sector’s recent momentum, which had ...

Aoun Denies Siege on Shiite Community, Emphasizes National Unity and Reform

President Joseph Aoun dismissed claims of a siege on Lebanon’s Shiite community, asserting that such allegations were unfounded. “Some are promoting this idea, but it is not true,” he stated during a meeting on Tuesday with a delegation from the Press Club, led by journalist Bassam Abu Zeid. Addressing recent measures against specific ...

Mullahs and Company, Hands Off the Airport!

In 1973, Henry Kissinger refused to land at Beirut International Airport because it was under the control of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). He also avoided traveling by road to the airport for the same reason. At the time, President Sleiman Frangieh welcomed him instead at the Rayak military airport — an implicit admission that ...