Hezbollah MPs voting during the Jan. 9, 2025, parliamentary election session. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient-Le Jour)
On Thursday, Jan. 9, Joseph Aoun, Lebanon's newly elected president, delivered his inaugural address to Parliament following his election with 99 votes. "I pledge to fulfill my role as supreme commander of the armed forces and chairman of the Supreme Council of Defense, working to ensure the state's right to hold the monopoly on arms," he said. This statement prompted a minute of applause, particularly from 'opposition' MPs, with some even standing in respect for the new head of state. Read more A 'strong' president, not an all-powerful one In stark contrast, the Hezbollah MPs remained unmoved when Aoun addressed the sensitive issue of the Shiite party's arsenal, reiterating his determination to ensure that only the Lebanese state would "liberate the territory from Israeli occupation." Throughout his 20-minute speech, Aoun made no...
On Thursday, Jan. 9, Joseph Aoun, Lebanon's newly elected president, delivered his inaugural address to Parliament following his election with 99 votes. "I pledge to fulfill my role as supreme commander of the armed forces and chairman of the Supreme Council of Defense, working to ensure the state's right to hold the monopoly on arms," he said. This statement prompted a minute of applause, particularly from 'opposition' MPs, with some even standing in respect for the new head of state. Read more A 'strong' president, not an all-powerful one In stark contrast, the Hezbollah MPs remained unmoved when Aoun addressed the sensitive issue of the Shiite party's arsenal, reiterating his determination to ensure that only the Lebanese state would "liberate the territory from Israeli occupation." Throughout his 20-minute speech, Aoun made no...
