
The President of the Lebanese Republic, Joseph Aoun, on Jan. 9, 2025, at Baabda Palace. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
A video of the new President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, conversing with journalists on Monday during the mandatory parliamentary consultations, has begun making waves on social media.
In this twenty-second video filmed at the presidential palace in Baabda, Aoun is chatting with journalists, and recognizing their work done throughout this long day of coverage.
"I hope the government formation will be easy because we have many opportunities to seize abroad. We are expected. I just got off the phone with the Italian Prime Minister," he said answering a journalist's question.
Elected last Thursday after more than two years of presidential vacancy, Aoun, who previously held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Army, succeeded Michel Aoun whose term had ended in October 2022.
On X, numerous users praised the relaxed demeanor of the Head of State. "He is so pleasant," writes one user, while another notes that he is "charismatic."
"It's like waking up from a nightmare. We now have a respectable president who jokes with journalists, we had forgotten this could happen. Thank you for putting us back on the path of a normal life," indicates a user of the platform. "He reminds me of (former president) Bachir Gemayel. May Saint Charbel protect him from Iran," comments another user.
The video even generated some comments on the stern demeanor of one of the president's bodyguards who appears behind him in the video.
Meanwhile, another video filmed the same day in Baabda, in which Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel is interviewed by a journalist from the NBN channel, owned by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, has given rise to numerous mocking comments.
"Thousands of Hezbollah martyrs defended the ten thousand four hundred... How many? that you defend," says journalist Linda Mechleb, alluding to the 10,452 square kilometers that constitute Lebanon. "The problem is that you do not even know the number," retorts Gemayel.
"Linda knows the size of Iran," "It doesn’t matter, she comes from the other side of the Litani," mocked users on X. "What a shame, she doesn't know the size of the country."