Joseph Aoun

Syria Leader in Qatar for First Time since Assad Fall

Syria's new president arrived in Qatar on Tuesday, state media said, for his first official visit to the Gulf state, a key backer of the new administration after longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's ouster. The official Qatar News Agency reported Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Shareh on his arrival at ...

Hezbollah: No Backtracking on Disarmament

The reconstruction of areas devastated by the war between Hezbollah and Israel hinges on two key conditions: the disarmament of the Iranian-backed group and the adoption and implementation of structural reforms. Without meaningful progress on both fronts, Lebanon will remain stalled in paralysis and increasingly vulnerable to deepening political, ...

Aoun Reaffirms Anti-Corruption Drive and State Sovereignty

President Joseph Aoun conducted a series of high-level visits to key security and military institutions on Tuesday, underscoring his administration’s firm stance against corruption and its commitment to asserting the sovereignty of the Lebanese state. Early in the day, Aoun visited the General Directorate of State Security in Ramlet el-Bayda, ...

Aoun Highlights LAF Role and Reform Progress

President Joseph Aoun affirmed on Monday that the Lebanese Army (LAF) is “fully carrying out its responsibilities” in the areas vacated by Israeli forces, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, emphasizing the army’s capability to ensure the safety and protection of Lebanese citizens. Speaking during a meeting at Baabda ...

J. Aoun Calls for Unity and a Stronger State on 50th Anniversary of Civil War

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War, President of the Republic Joseph Aoun delivered a speech in Lebanese Arabic – a sign of empathy with a people still deeply scarred by the legacy of war and ongoing crises. More importantly, he called on the Lebanese to learn from the past in order to build a ...

Aoun Cracks Down on Corruption in Surprise Visits to Nefaa and Beirut Port

In an unannounced tour on Friday morning, President Joseph Aoun visited the Vehicle Registration Authority (Nefaa) in Dekwaneh and the Port of Beirut, underscoring his administration’s commitment to fighting corruption and improving public service efficiency. Speaking directly to citizens during his visit to Nefaa, Aoun declared, “Anyone who ...

Geagea: President Aoun Wants a Hezbollah Disarmament Plan

In an interview on MTV’s Sar el-Waet program, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea highlighted the Lebanese authorities’ commitment to restricting the right to bear arms to legal forces only. He emphasized that the disarmament of Hezbollah, both south and north of the Litani River, is inevitable. Geagea revealed that he was initially surprised ...

Aoun ‘Optimistic’ as Hezbollah Shows Flexibility on Weapons

President Joseph Aoun expressed cautious optimism on Thursday regarding several sensitive national issues, including Hezbollah’s weapons, judicial reform and economic recovery, pointing to a newfound political harmony within the government. According to MP Sagih Atieh, who met with the president, Aoun said that Hezbollah had shown “a great ...

KSA Ambassador Reaffirms Kingdom’s Support for Lebanese Reform Efforts

Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, reiterated the Kingdom’s unwavering support for Lebanon’s political and economic reform efforts during a meeting on Thursday with Foreign Affairs Minister Youssef Rajji. The two officials discussed recent developments in Lebanon and across the region, with Ambassador Bukhari conveying ...

Hezbollah's Weapons and the Specter of Civil War

Each time the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament arises, the specter of civil war is invoked. When the party was at the height of its power, discussing its weapons was off-limits. Anyone who dared to bring up the topic was branded a traitor and an (Israeli) agent, accused of trying to strip Lebanon of its “strong card.” The message was clear: ...

Is Hezbollah Open to Discussions on the Future of Its Weapons?

A senior Hezbollah official told Reuters on Tuesday that the group “would be willing to hold talks on the future of its weapons, in particular with the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, provided that the Israeli army withdraws from southern Lebanon and halts its continuous airstrikes against the country.” The aforementioned official ...

National Dialogue Is Unconstitutional

When President Joseph Aoun took his oath of office before Parliament, he pledged to uphold the Constitution of Lebanon. Had the President and his Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, declared from the outset that restoring state sovereignty depended on Hezbollah’s willingness to disarm, their oath would have been unnecessary. It is in cases like ...