The man chosen by Lebanon's parliament to be the country's new president is the preferred candidate of the United States, Europe and Saudi Arabia, and who the war-torn country will need help to rebuild, according to reports.
Joseph Aoun, the 61-year-old Lebanese army commander, takes over as president after more than two years of the seat remaining empty and 13 attempts to vote for a leader.
Aoun has headed the army since 2017, and was chosen Thursday to succeed Michel Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022.
The two are not related.
The elections came amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah organization, and as the country desperately seeks reconstruction after the financial collapse in 2021 and the Israeli bombing of the Iran-backed terrorist group.
According to reports, Aoun has kept his forces out of the year-long war between Israel and Hezbollah and has largely avoided media appearances.
In a speech before Parliament, Aoun pledged to reform the country's judicial system, fight corruption and strengthen the state's right to “monopoly the bearing of arms,” in an apparent reference to Hezbollah.
He also said that he would “remove the Israeli occupation” from southern Lebanon and rebuild “what the Israeli army destroyed in the south, east, and (southern) suburbs of Beirut,” according to reports.
The Israeli military is considering expanding its presence in Lebanon beyond the ceasefire agreement, saying the Lebanese army is deploying slower than expected and is not attacking Hezbollah targets.
Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told The Associated Press that the weakening of Hezbollah after its war with Israel and the fall of its ally, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, helped pave the way for Aoun's victory.
Slim said that Aoun “never had a conflictual relationship with Hezbollah, but he never yielded to Hezbollah,” and he will have to navigate the “contradictions” inherent in Lebanon’s divided political scene.
As Aoun was sworn in on Thursday, his supporters took to the streets, setting off fireworks and gunshots and slaughtering a sheep in celebration, according to reports.
With mail wires
