US-supported army mander becomes President of Lebanon

US-supported army mander becomes President of Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon - The Parliament of the Lebanon chose the army commander Joseph Aoun supported by the USA as the new president of the country. This ends a long -term political dead end and the lack of a president.

election process and support

Joseph Aoun was elected president after two electoral groups. This choice was the result of extensive efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United States to mobilize support for AOUN, which has close connections to Washington and Riad.

A new president takes over

After his choice, Aoun de facto resigned as an army commander. He entered civil outfit to be sworn in in parliament.

promise for a new era

In his inaugural speech, Aoun summarizes the beginning of a “new era” in Lebanon and promised to free the country from its numerous economic and political crises. He also made a rare promise to strive for the "monopolization of weapons" under the mandate of the state. This was a clear allusion to the Arsenal of the Iran -supported military group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah's influence and challenges

Hezbollah is considered the best armed military group in the Middle East and had influence in at least three countries until the devastating war with Israel last autumn. The severe defeats that Israel has during the Inflicted conflict and the case of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December have significantly weakened Hezbollah. This has rejected a long -lasting debate about the disarming of the group.