The leader of the Kataeb party, Sami Gemayel, hailed the election of the new President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, which he described as a "new chapter in the history of Lebanon," hoping it will be "bright" and that "all countries will stand by Lebanon to help it recover."

The Metn MP also praised the remarks made by the former army chief during his inauguration speech. "He is the first president elected after the war in a country free from any tutelage. For this reason, his speech is unprecedented in 30 years," he said in an interview Thursday night on the Al-Arabiya channel.

Regarding the issue of Hezbollah's weapons and Aoun's statement on "the monopoly of bearing arms" reverting to the hands of the State, Gemayel believed that Lebanon has "exited the camp of Resistance" and is now "able to decide its destiny without any tutelage," whether Syrian or Iranian.

"All presidents were elected either during the period of Syrian tutelage or at a time when Hezbollah controlled decisions," he added. "We categorically refuse anyone intervening in Lebanon or using our country as a missile launch base, as Iran has done over the past 15 years [...] which has led to wars that we paid a high price for, notably through destruction in the South."

The Kataeb leader finally urged the international community, and particularly Arab countries, to support Lebanon's reconstruction. "We want Arab support to continue. We warmly thank all those who have protected Lebanon from the atrocities it has suffered. We hope the Arab world will continue to support us in relaunching reconstruction and putting Lebanon on the path to progress, development, and prosperity under the leadership of Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia," he concluded.