Aoun: We now have real opportunities for Lebanon's recovery

BEIRUT — President Joseph Aoun stated Wednesday that Lebanon has "real opportunities for its recovery" and emphasized the need to seize them.

"We now have real opportunities for Lebanon’s recovery, and we do not want to lose them or merely lament the ruins," Aoun said before a delegation of student organizations.

He also stressed the need to "move past the divisions that have led Lebanon to its current situation." "All Lebanese have lost, not just one side; disagreement in opinions and positions is a legitimate right, but discord is destructive," he added.

Lebanon has not yet recovered from the economic crisis that hit in 2019 and emerged last year from a deadly war between Israel and Hezbollah.

However, the country continues to pay a heavy price, as Israel maintains near-daily bombings despite the truce reached in November.

Lebanese authorities continue to push for the disarmament of Hezbollah, but the party refuses to lay down its arms as long as the Israeli army continues to violate the cease-fire.

The United States is conditioning its support for Lebanon and the release of international aid on the monopoly of arms in the hands of the state. On Monday, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack warned of a new Israeli offensive if Hezbollah is not disarmed, calling on authorities to begin direct negotiations with Israel.