Lebanese parliament elects army commander as president
Photo: Joseph Aoun, President of Lebanon (Getty Images)
In Lebanon, the parliament elected a new president. Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun will head the country, CNN informs.
According to the media outlet, Aoun was elected president after two rounds of voting in parliament. The United States and Saudi Arabia actively supported his candidacy for the position.
After being declared president, Aoun effectively ceased to serve as the head of the army. He arrived at the parliament to take the presidential oath dressed in civilian attire.
CNN notes that Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, when the term of former President Michel Aoun ended (he is not related to Joseph Aoun). The former president was supported by Hezbollah militants.
Until today’s parliamentary sessions, there had been 12 unsuccessful attempts to elect a president over the past two years.
The news agency specifies that Hezbollah and its main ally, Amal, supported Aoun in the second round. They did not vote for the army commander in the first round. In the second round, Aoun secured 99 votes out of 128.
Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah
According to CNN, the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah facilitated the presidential elections in Lebanon.
In early October, as part of its war against militants, Israel invaded southern Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah targets.
By November 26, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire, and Israeli forces began withdrawing from Lebanese territory.
