Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra photo archives)
Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun voiced concerns on Thursday over his party’s stance on Hezbollah’s involvement in the ongoing conflict with Israel, as well as the establishment of a “support front for Gaza” in southern Lebanon since October 2023.
In his first interview since the end of his presidential term in October 2022, Aoun told the pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar newspaper that “Lebanon is the smallest country in the region, with no economic or security agreements binding it to Gaza.”
According to Aoun, “the Americans do not want this war” and “we should not give Israel any pretext [to start one].”
“I fear defeat by Israel and am worried about Lebanon’s future,” he said, noting significant differences from the 2006 war.
While Aoun, a former army commander, described Hezbollah’s military campaign as “measured and intelligent,” he expressed concern over “the possibility of an Israeli ground invasion to create a buffer zone south of the Litani River.” He described his relationship with Hezbollah, his ally for 18 years, as “calm,” stressing that political disagreements should not escalate into sectarian conflicts.
“They did not support me during my presidency on key issues, like the financial audit of the Central Bank, but that does not affect our strategic alliance,” he added.
On Lebanon’s presidential vacuum, Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022 with no successor in place, claimed the matter has become “a global issue,” expressing concerns that “foreign parties may have orchestrated this vacuum.”
He criticized the current army commander, General Joseph Aoun — a potential presidential candidate and an opponent of Aoun’s party. “The constitution is being trampled,” the former president said. “How else do you explain extending the army commander’s term in January when there are 20 officers more qualified than him?”
‘Gebran Bassil is not a dictator’
When asked about internal tensions within the party he founded, now led by his son-in-law Gebran Bassil, following the dismissal or resignation of four prominent members, Aoun stated, “These four MPs made mistakes and showed new political tendencies, even traveling abroad without consulting the party.”
He insisted, “Gebran Bassil is not a dictator. He is a decisive leader who ensures compliance with party regulations, which these members resisted.”
In recent weeks, four MPs have left the party: Elias Bou Saab and Alain Aoun were dismissed, while Simon Abi Ramia and Ibrahim Kanaan resigned. Aoun specifically criticized Kanaan, who heads the parliamentary finance committee, for failing to vote on reforms, including capital control measures, which he said “cost the FPM popular support.”
Lebanon has been mired in an unprecedented economic and financial crisis since 2019, leaving depositors unable to access their funds in banks.
Despite the internal strife, Aoun expressed confidence that the party would overcome this period without issue, asserting the necessity to “restore order.”
Kanaan quickly responded to Aoun’s interview and other statements from the FPM that targeted him following his resignation on Wednesday. He accused the party of “coordinated and premeditated comments with well-known objectives.” Addressing the criticism of his role in delaying the capital control law, Kanaan clarified in a statement that his committee had proposed the legislation on May 20, 2020, but it was the government of then-Prime Minister Hassan Diab that failed to adopt it, with meeting minutes and media reports supporting this claim.
According to Kanaan, then Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni removed the proposal from the agenda, and when Diab questioned this, Wazni claimed the draft faced numerous comments. Kanaan added that the finance committee adopted an amended version of the bill in line with IMF recommendations on June 21, 2021, countering any claims that the committee and its chairman had failed to act on this issue.
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour and translated by Sahar Ghoussoub.
