- 11:30
President Joseph Aoun delivered two sentences that may well mark a turning point for Lebanon. First, he stated that “our country cannot remain on the sidelines of efforts undertaken to resolve the crises unfolding in the region.” Then he added that “a dialogue with Israel is possible.”
These two brief remarks echoed those of Donald Trump in his address to the Knesset, when he congratulated the Lebanese president for his efforts — a comment widely interpreted as a nod to Aoun’s stance on Hezbollah’s disarmament.
Aoun’s words carry even greater weight given Lebanon’s glaring absence from the recent Peace Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Around the table, some thirty heads of state and government debated the region’s future — yet Lebanon’s voice was missing. This absence speaks volumes about the country’s fading role and the urgent need to reclaim a seat at the table where the new Middle East is being shaped.
That, in essence, is Aoun’s message. Lebanon can no longer afford to merely endure the fallout of other people’s wars. It must once again become an actor — even if only a stabilizing one. The prospect of an end to fighting in Gaza opens a narrow window through which dialogue and diplomacy might yet regain their place.
Nothing is settled yet. But in a region paralyzed by fear and mistrust, Aoun’s words sound like a breath of fresh air. Sometimes, a single sentence can shift the landscape.
Meanwhile, the pro-Iranian militia finds itself increasingly exposed. Even Hamas — for whom Hezbollah launched its disastrous “war of support” — is now negotiating the surrender of its weapons and authority.
Lebanon is left with parts of its territory in ruins and no funds for the estimated fourteen-billion-dollar reconstruction. Aoun himself acknowledged this fact, stressing that only an international conference could fund such efforts. Yet, as long as the weapons remain, such a conference will not take place.
As a new wind sweeps across the Middle East, Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsor now stand at a crossroads: cling to futile wars waged in the name of Palestinians who have already moved on, or allow the long-suffering Lebanese people finally to board the train of history as it passes before their eyes.
Comments