Joseph Aoun

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 ...

Lebanon Calls for Full Israeli Withdrawal as UN Warns of Violations

On Tuesday, as Israeli forces had yet to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon, a statement from the Lebanese presidency called for Israel’s complete withdrawal from the country. Following a meeting in Baabda, President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam issued a statement reaffirming "the necessity of ...

Lebanon’s Tense Borders Signal End of Iranian Influence 

From the military skirmishes at the southern border to the clashes portrayed as tribal disputes in the northeastern front, the connection is clear, and the backdrop is the same: Iran and its proxies. The major blow suffered by the pro-Iranian axis in Lebanon and Syria—leading to the collapse of Tehran’s affiliates due to its inability to ...

The Ministerial Statement Reflects the President’s Inaugural Speech, but...

  The government, approved on Monday evening the ministerial statement upon which it must seek the Parliament's confidence. However, some amendments were introduced to the text drafted by a ministerial committee chaired by designated Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. The amendments strengthen the principle of state primacy, which President Aoun ...

Skeptical of Israeli Withdrawal on Deadline, President Aoun Reaffirms Army’s Security Role

President Joseph Aoun on Monday reiterated the Lebanese Army’s responsibility for securing the country’s borders, emphasizing its full readiness for accountability. Addressing the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, Aoun stated that any resolution must be discussed among the Lebanese. President Aoun voiced concern that Israeli troops may not ...

Beirut International Airport Turmoil: The Hidden Side of the Iceberg

For those who remained skeptical, reluctant to acknowledge the reality before them, the past few days should have dispelled any lingering doubt. Hezbollah has once again provided undeniable proof that its political agenda and modus operandi stand in stark opposition to the construction of a unified, sovereign state. More than ever, the Lebanese ...

Saad Hariri's Comeback: A Turning Point for the Sunni Community?

Saad Hariri was greeted with a massive crowd at Martyrs' Square on Friday, February 14. His return, eagerly awaited by his supporters, came more than three years after his withdrawal from the Lebanese political scene. In fact, much of the Sunni community has been feeling sidelined and underrepresented in recent years. For former Minister Rashid ...

President Aoun Vows to Hold Attackers of UN Peacekeepers Accountable

President Joseph Aoun vowed on Saturday to punish the perpetrators of an attack on a United Nations peacekeeping convoy a day earlier that wounded the force's outgoing deputy commander. Aoun "condemned the attack... and emphasized that the attackers will receive their punishment," the presidency said in a statement on X. "Security forces will ...

Hariri Returns to Lebanon, Holds Key Meetings: “Hear Me on Friday”

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of his father’s assassination on February 14, former Prime Minister and Future Movement leader Saad Hariri held a series of high-profile political meetings on Wednesday. Hariri, who arrived in Beirut on Tuesday evening, met with President Joseph Aoun at Baabda Palace, where he congratulated him on his election and ...