Joseph Aoun pays tribute to Bashir Gemayel on the anniversary of his assassination

Lebanese head of state Joseph Aoun paid tribute on Saturday on X to President Bachir Gemayel, on the anniversary of his assassination on Sep. 14, 1982. “The principles for which he sacrificed himself have become national constants for all Lebanese, notably a Lebanon that is free, independent and strong thanks to the unity of its people and the solidarity of its components,” Aoun emphasized.

Bashir Gemayel, founder of the Lebanese Forces, was killed in a car bomb attack that also claimed the lives of 32 others in the Ashrafieh district of Beirut, three weeks after being elected president. In 2017, the Court of Justice sentenced to death two individuals, Habib Chartouni and Nabil Alam, tried in absentia for his assassination.

For his supporters, Bashir Gemayel symbolizes resistance to the Palestinian presence and to the Syrian army, which entered Lebanon in 1976 to support the war effort against the Palestinians before becoming an occupying force. His opponents criticize his alliance with Israel, which launched a large-scale military intervention in Lebanon in 1982 to expel Palestinian leaders. He was recognized as an interlocutor by the United States and worked to promote dialogue with Arab countries to end the civil war that began in 1975.

Joseph Aoun rend hommage à Bachir Gemayel à l'occasion de l'anniversaire de son assassinat