General Joseph Aoun (left, X account @LebarmyOfficial) and Wafic Safa, head of Hezbollah's liaison and coordination unit (al-Manar website).
Wafic Safa recently visited the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Yarzeh for a meeting with the army's Commander-in-Chief, General Joseph Aoun. The news cannot go unnoticed, as this is the first official activity by the senior Hezbollah official since the Israeli assassination attempt on him in Beirut on Oct. 10. It was therefore a way for Naim Qassem's party to dispel rumors that the Israeli strike had seriously injured Safa to the point of preventing him from continuing his mission as head of Hezbollah's Liason Unit.
The Aoun-Safa meeting, held in the presence of Ahmad Baalbaki, adviser to the Speaker of the House on security affairs, was also part of the coordination between the military establishment and the Hezbollah-Amal Movement alliance with a view to the deployment of the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon and the implementation of Resolution 1701 (2006, which notably calls for the withdrawal of Hezbollah from areas south of the Litani River) in accordance with the provisions of the cease-fire agreement sealed at the end of November after two months of violent war.
"The only subject discussed was the implementation of 1701 and the deployment of the army in southern Lebanon," says a source familiar with the meeting. At the same time, they denied press reports that Safa and Baalbaki told the army chief that they were opposed to General Edgar Lawandos representing Lebanon on the cease-fire supervision committee comprising the USA, France, Lebanon, Israel and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon. "On the contrary, the meeting was held in a positive atmosphere," the source says. But if this is the case, why was the meeting kept quiet? "It's not the first time Wafic Safa has met the army chief. All the more so as it is he who is responsible for coordinating [Hezbollah's] relations with the security apparatus," the source simply replies.
But politics is never far away. Could the Yarzeh meeting be a first step towards a possible "yes" from Amal and Hezbollah to the election of Joseph Aoun, seen as a serious consensual option for the presidency of the Republic?
Berri: 'No' to amending the Constitution
For the time being, the Amal and Hezbollah are adopting the pragmatic position of collaborating with Aoun, as head of the army, to implement the cease-fire agreement. "We haven't said anything about Joseph Aoun's candidacy for the presidency," an Amal executive told L'OLJ on condition of anonymity. Nabih Berri seems to have already made up his mind: "We won't amend the Constitution to get anyone elected," he reportedly told his visitors, citing "Ain al-Tineh circles," as reported by the Assas Media website. According to the report, Berri added that "what prevailed in 2008 cannot apply today."
The Speaker of the House was referring to the presidential election in which Michel Sleiman, then commander-in-chief of the army, was elected without amending article 49 of the Constitution (which prohibits senior civil servants from entering the presidential race for two years after resigning from their posts). Berri argued that the broader consensus could overrule the fundamental law.
For some, Berri's comments are a fresh attempt at calming the concerns held by Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh, who is still in the running at a time when groups opposing Hezbollah are accused of wanting to take advantage of the party's weakening to impose their intentions with regard to the presidential elections.
For others, however, Berri's statements appear to be yet another attempt to throw a wrench in the works of a candidate backed by the international community, starting with the United States. "[Hezbollah and Amal] don't want Joseph Aoun because they are in total denial and think they have the same political weight as before the war," says an opposition MP. According to the aforementioned Amal executive, "It's quite normal for the head of the legislature to show concern for respect for the Constitution," suggesting, however, that the Speaker of the House would not stand in the way of Aoun's election if it were the subject of a broader agreement.
"It's too early to decide on this point," they said. "The dish is still simmering. We'd better wait until Jan. 9. A lot can change between now and then." One thing is certain, however: the scenario of a green light from Hezbollah and Amal for the Aoun option will further accentuate the political isolation of the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, who is ready to do anything to put an end to the army chief. Even to the point of considering endorsing the candidacy of Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces and the CPL's greatest Christian adversary, as he hinted in an interview with local TV station LBCI on Thursday.
