Daijiworld Media Network- Beirut

Beirut, Jan 10: On Thursday, Lebanon's parliament elected Army Chief Joseph Aoun as the country's new president, marking the end of a prolonged political deadlock and presidential vacancy. His election followed two rounds of voting, with significant support from the United States and Saudi Arabia, both of which have close ties with Aoun, who is aligned with Washington and Riyadh.

After his election, Aoun stepped down from his military position and arrived at parliament in civilian attire to take the oath of office. In his acceptance speech, Aoun heralded the beginning of a "new era" for Lebanon, pledging to tackle the country's ongoing economic and political crises. Notably, he made a rare commitment to "monopolize weapons" under state authority, signaling his intention to disarm Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group with significant military influence in Lebanon, as reported by CNN.

Hezbollah, the most heavily armed militant group in the Middle East, has faced significant challenges, including recent losses in conflicts with Israel. This, coupled with the weakening of its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has reignited discussions on disarming the group. The US-brokered ceasefire agreement signed in November further weakened Hezbollah's position by mandating its withdrawal from the border area with Israel, with Israeli forces required to leave Lebanese territory by the end of January.

Although Lebanon's army did not engage directly in the war with Israel, it played a crucial role in implementing the ceasefire terms.

In his speech, Aoun stressed that Lebanon, as a state, would work towards ridding itself of Israeli occupation. He mentioned the potential for developing a national defense strategy against Israel, emphasizing that Hezbollah would no longer play a central role in confronting Israeli forces.

"My era will include the discussion of our defensive strategy to enable the Lebanese state to get rid of the Israeli occupation and to retaliate against its aggression," Aoun said.

Lebanon had been without a president since October 2022, when former President Michel Aoun, backed by Hezbollah, completed his term. Efforts to elect a new president had failed 12 times over the past two years, deepening the divide between Lebanon's pro-Western and pro-Iran factions.

In the second round of voting, Aoun secured 99 votes out of 128. Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc supported his election in the second round to foster national unity but withheld their votes in the first round as a statement of their stance on sovereignty, as reported by CNN.