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The Latest Breaking News from Michel Aoun

Delegation of Lebanese Ministers Heads to Syria after Earthquake

Lebanon is sending a high-level delegation to Damascus on Wednesday to see how to provide assistance following the devastating earthquake that hit several areas in northwestern Syria earlier this week. The ministerial delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamieh.

Asharq Al-Awsat

Al-Rahi Accuses Complacent MPs of ‘Great Treason’ for Failing to Elect President

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi launched on Sunday a scathing attack against “complacent” MPs who have failed to elect a president since Michel Aoun’s term ended in November. During his Sunday sermon, he said the lawmakers’ blind following of their political leaders was tantamount to “great treason.” The Lebanese people…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Paris to Host Int’l Meeting Monday to Address Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

Paris will host on Monday an international meeting aimed at tackling the Lebanese presidential crisis. Representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United States, France, Egypt and Qatar will attend. Lebanese officials are skeptical that the Paris meeting will yield a breakthrough in the impasse. Rather, they believe it will discuss the…

Asharq Al-Awsat

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Qatar boosts influence in Lebanon amid multiple crises

Wealthy Qatar has been silently expanding its influence in crisis-hit Lebanon in recent years, while oil-rich Gulf Arab nations ostracized the Mediterranean country over the growing influence of its militant Hezbollah group

The Independent UK

Lebanon Lawmaker Sit-in Enters 2nd Week

Two Lebanese lawmakers on Friday entered the second week of a sit-in inside the crisis-hit country's parliamentary chamber, vowing to remain inside until fellow MPs elect a new president. Parliamentarians Najat Saliba and Melhem Khalaf, both independents, began their protest on January 19, after colleagues met and failed for an…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Explainer-The Beirut port blast: Why has there been no accountability?

Lebanon's top public prosecutor on Wednesday charged the judge investigating the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed at least 220 people, stymieing his effort to hold members of the ruling elite accountable.

Reuters

Lebanese opposition lawmakers stage sit-in to demand new president

Independent lawmakers in Lebanon are staging a sit-in at parliament to pile pressure on dominant factions to elect a new president nearly three months since the post fell vacant with the country in the throes of an economic crisis.

Reuters

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Lebanon: Aoun Uses Defense Minister to Settle Scores with Army Commander

Signs of a political clash began to emerge between Lebanon’s Minister of National Defense in the caretaker government, retired Brigadier General Maurice Slim, and Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, over the appointment of an officer who would manage the Army’s General Inspection Authority. The clash could have been avoided had…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Hamadeh to Asharq Al-Awsat: Presidential Vacuum in Lebanon Will Last Months

It appears that the vacuum in the presidency in Lebanon will last several months given the lack of prospects for a local solution or a breakthrough in complicated regional files that will negatively impact the country. Further aggravating the situation is the near collapse of the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear…

Asharq Al-Awsat

France's Macron says Lebanon must change leadership to break deadlock

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Lebanon to "get rid" of its political leadership who have for months blocked reforms vital to save its stricken economy. He said an international conference to offer support to the country would be organised in the coming weeks.

Radio France Internationale

Arab League Says Ready to Facilitate Dialogue between Lebanese Rivals

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit stressed on Thursday that kicking off economic revival in Lebanon hinges on resolving the political deadlock in the country. The Arab League is prepared to facilitate dialogue between the Lebanese parties to that end, he told an economic forum in Beirut. The lack…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon 'Tackles' Presidential Vacuum...with Army Generals

As Lebanon’s political blocs have failed to elect a new president for the country, all attention turns, as usual, to the military institution, which enjoys the people’s trust as the most cohesive authority within the Lebanese state. In addition to MP Michel Moawad, two candidates share the electoral stage; but…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Berri Favors Dialogue, Awaits Response from Bassil, LF

A senior parliamentary source said that the overwhelming majority in the Lebanese parliament expressed its immediate approval of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s call to turn the parliamentary session, scheduled for next Thursday to elect a president for the republic, into a dialogue meeting, in an attempt to break the impasse…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Hezbollah Seeks to Contain Dispute with Bassil’s FPM

Hezbollah is seeking to mitigate the impact of the recent dispute with its Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), by affirming its adherence to the memorandum of understanding signed in 2006 between the two sides. “We were, still are and will remain adherents to our allies, regardless of our…

Asharq Al-Awsat

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Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon’s FPM Torn Between Bassil’s Ambitions, Hezbollah’s Pressure

A number of lawmakers from Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) have acknowledged that the party is in “crisis” over the election of a new president of the republic. FPM MPs have submitted blank votes in eight electoral sessions. Tensions reached new heights during the ninth session amid disputes between the…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Disputes Emerge Between FPM, Hezbollah

For the first time since the signing of the Mar Mkhayel Agreement in 2006, a dispute emerged between former President Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and Hezbollah. The conflict between the two sides was publicly announced in the media on Monday, following the participation of Hezbollah’s ministers in a…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Explainer: Why Can’t Lebanon Elect a President?

Lebanon has been without a president for over a month, its legislators unable to agree on a new head of state. The impasse is holding up a range of initiatives, from putting into place structural reforms for an International Monetary Fund program to allowing the country’s state-owned television channel to…

The Independent UK

EXPLAINER: Why can’t Lebanon elect a president?

Lebanon has been without a president for over a month, and its legislators since late September have been unable to vote for a new president

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Asharq Al-Awsat

Geagea: Dialogue with Hezbollah, its Allies Is a Waste of Time

Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea usually prefers to remain optimistic, in contrast to the dreariness in Lebanon that is grappling with an unprecedented economic crisis. The situation has also worsened with the country plunging in presidential vacuum with rival political forces failing to elect a successor to Michel…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon MPs Again Fail to Elect President despite Economic Crisis

Lebanese lawmakers failed for a seventh time Thursday to elect a successor to former president Michel Aoun, even though the vacancy is hampering efforts to rescue the stricken economy. Parliament is split between supporters of the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its opponents, neither of whom have a clear majority.…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Parliament Fails for 6th Time to Elect a President

The Lebanese Parliament failed for the sixth time on Thursday to elect a successor to former president Michel Aoun, whose term expired on October 31. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri chaired Thursday’s parliament meeting. Five legislators out of 128-member parliament did not attend. Legislators cast their paper ballots into a wooden…

Reuters

Seeking compromise candidate, Lebanese politician Bassil leaves door ajar for presidency bid

Senior Lebanese politician Gebran Bassil said on Thursday he was working to find a compromise candidate for the presidency who would be able to push through crucial reforms, but that he would run for the post himself if he deemed a chosen candidate a bad option.

Reuters

Analysis-Power vacuum adds to risks for crisis-hit Lebanon

Lebanon faces an indefinite government crisis that further complicates the path out of its financial meltdown, adding to risks of instability as hardship deepens and state institutions teeter on the brink of collapse.

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Berri Slams Slogan of ‘Strong President’

Lebanon’s Speaker Nabih Berri has stressed that the idea of the “strong president” that former President Michel Aoun had carried as a slogan for his tenure has “failed miserably.” During a meeting on Monday with a Press Syndicate delegation, headed by Awni Kaaki, Berri said that a strong president “is…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Pope Appeals for Lebanon Leaders to Put Interests Aside

Pope Francis appealed Sunday for Lebanon’s politicians to put their personal interests aside and agree on a path to help the country emerge from years of economic meltdown and a new political vacuum. “Lebanon now is suffering,” Francis said when asked en route home from Bahrain if he might visit…

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