Joseph Aoun

Disarmament of Palestinian Camps to Begin Mid-June

At the invitation of Ambassador Ramez Dimashqieh, head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, the first meeting of the joint committee tasked with monitoring the situation in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon was held. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam opened the meeting by welcoming President Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to resolve the issue ...

Teachers’ Law Reissue or a Return to Street Protests

On April 17, President Joseph Aoun submitted two appeals to the Constitutional Council. The first challenges Law No. 1, which automatically came into effect and regulates leases of non-residential properties. The second targets Law No. 2, also automatically enacted, which amends specific provisions related to private school faculty and school ...

Lines in the Sand: Syria on the Brink, and Lebanon’s Vanishing Moment

If you want to understand the Middle East in 2025, don’t look at the maps. Look at the fault lines. They’re not drawn in ink – they’re drawn in fear, legacy and a deep unease that this time, the region isn’t just shifting, it’s splintering. This week, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio sounded an alarm loud enough to rattle ...

American and Israeli Messages to Lebanon

According to information from Washington, the Americans have informed the Lebanese government that the Israelis will not withdraw from the positions they occupy in southern Lebanon unless the Lebanese side takes serious and successive steps toward disarming Hezbollah. They emphasized that Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon and that ...

Joseph Aoun and Mahmoud Abbas: No More Weapons Outside State Control in Lebanon

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed during their meeting on Wednesday that “there would no longer be any weapons outside the control of the state in Lebanon.” This is a key decision since the Lebanese government does not exert authority over Palestinian refugee camps. Mahmoud Abbas, who met ...

Aoun and Salam Discuss Final Phase of Municipal Elections

Preparations for the fourth and final phase of the municipal process, set to take place in the South and Nabatiyeh governorates next Saturday, topped the agenda of a high-level meeting held on Tuesday at Baabda Palace. President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun received Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. The two leaders reviewed the course of the ...

Lebanon Reduced to the Scale of a Mukhtar

While Saudi Arabia was signing investment deals with the United States worth over $600 billion, and President Donald Trump was pursuing economic ventures exceeding $4 trillion to boost the global economy and forge new alliances, Lebanon was engaging in international politics on the scale of a mukhtar, a village chief. As developments began to ...

Constitutional Council Accepts President Aoun’s Appeal Against Teaching Body Organization Law

In a unanimous decision, the Constitutional Council accepted President Joseph Aoun's appeal against the law on the organization of teaching staff in private schools and the management of their budgets. Per the constitutional provisions, the law has now been declared inapplicable. The appeal, lodged by the presidency shortly after the law's ...

Trump’s Regional Peace Play: A New Pax Americana?

Donald Trump’s whirlwind tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE was far more than a ceremonial diplomatic visit. Grounded in deep strategic, political and economic stakes, it marked a decisive attempt to recast the American role in a region long scarred by conflict and fractured alliances. Arriving with a regional peace blueprint in hand, ...

President Aoun Meets al-Sissi, Urges Global Pressure on Israel to Honor Ceasefire

On an official visit to Cairo, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its breaches of the ceasefire agreement signed in November 2024. Speaking alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi at a joint press conference, Aoun emphasized the urgent need to halt Israeli violations in ...

President Aoun Attends Inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican

President Joseph Aoun and First Lady Naamat Aoun attended the inaugural papal Mass of Pope Leo XIV this morning at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, alongside leaders, monarchs and dignitaries from around the world. Following the solemn liturgy, President Aoun offered his heartfelt congratulations to the new Pontiff, expressing his best wishes ...