Tag Archives: Michel Aoun

President Michel Aoun on Tuesday condemned criticism of Lebanon’s Christian Maronite patriarch after he expressed opposition to the Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah, warning that insults must be avoided to safeguard national unity. Following a cross-border salvo between Israel and Hezbollah, Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai was sharply critical of Hezbollah on …

Israeli jets struck what its military said were rocket launch sites in Lebanon early on Thursday in response to two rockets fired towards Israel from Lebanese territory, in an escalation of cross-border hostilities amid heightened tensions with Iran. The rockets launched from Lebanon on Wednesday struck open areas in northern …

A report released by Human Rights Watch on Tuesday concluded there was strong evidence to suggest some Lebanese officials knew about and tacitly accepted the lethal risks posed by ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut port before the fatal blast there on Aug. 4 last year. The explosion, caused by the chemicals stored unsafely at the port for …

Lebanon’s wealthy businessman and former premier Najib Mikati is poised to be designated prime minister on Monday after winning the support of most major parties to form a new government facing a crippling financial crisis, political sources said. Earlier, a club of former Lebanese Sunni prime ministers said on Sunday …

Lebanon’s presidency said parliamentary consultations to choose a new prime minister will begin on July 26, in another attempt to push Lebanon’s fractious political class to form a government to rescue the country from financial meltdown. Lebanon has been run by a caretaker administration for nearly a year, while its …

Lebanese politician Saad al-Hariri abandoned his months-long effort to form a new government on Thursday, dimming the chances of a cabinet being agreed any time soon that could start rescuing the country from financial meltdown. Hariri announced his decision after meeting President Michel Aoun, saying it was clear they could not agree, …

Lebanon’s prime minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri said on Wednesday he had presented a cabinet proposal to President Michel Aoun and is awaiting his response on Thursday, in a move that could end almost nine months of political deadlock amid an economic collapse. “Now is the moment of truth,” Hariri, who has …

Diab, who has been heading a cabinet in a caretaker capacity for more than 10 months, said any government would need the support of “friendly nations to save the country from the predicament it currently finds itself in.” Lebanon has been without a fully functioning government since Diab resigned in …

Lebanese Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe has quit after provoking widespread anger and condemnation for suggesting that Gulf states were to blame for the rise of Daesh, with lawyers submitting a complaint against him for breaching his duties and “committing crimes that threaten national unity.”  Wehbe faced a barrage of criticism …

Lebanon’s largest Christian bloc, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), warned prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri on Saturday against sidelining President Michel Aoun and other parliamentary interests in talks over forming a cabinet. Hariri and Aoun have been at loggerheads over the cabinet for months, dashing hopes of a reversal of Lebanon’s …

Protesters blocked some roadways in Lebanon for a second day on Wednesday after the currency’s fall to a new low further enraged a population long horrified by the country’s financial meltdown. In the past year, Lebanon has been through a popular uprising against its political leaders, the bankruptcy of the …

Bahaa Hariri, the eldest son of slain Lebanese statesman Rafik Hariri, is calling for a broad alliance — a “supermajority” — to coalesce around a plan to agree on the way forward for Lebanon as it faces multiple crises. Such an alliance is needed to implement the unfinished business of …

The leader of Lebanon’s biggest Christian political party on Sunday ruled out joining a new government led by Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri, a new hurdle for efforts to pull the country out of political paralysis. Politicians have been at loggerheads over the shape of a new administration since the last …

Lebanon’s foreign minister has urged US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea to provide the information and documents that led to sanctions against Gebran Bassil. Charbel Wehbe, who was made minister in Lebanon’s caretaker government, met with Shea on Monday to discuss bilateral ties and the sanctions placed on the leader …

The U.S. envoy to Lebanon said on Monday that Lebanese Christian politician Gebran Bassil, who has been sanctioned by the United States, had voiced willingness to sever ties with Hezbollah, challenging his assertion that he rejected the idea outright. Washington on Friday blacklisted Bassil, son-in-law of Lebanon’s president and leader …

The U.S. administration on Friday announced sanctions on Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil, who is the son-in-law of President Michel Aoun. MTV said the sanctions were imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act, which targets those who are engaged in human rights abuses and corruption. Bassil swiftly hit back …

The leaders of Lebanon’s Maronite and Orthodox Christian churches urged Lebanese leaders on Sunday to stop delaying talks on forming a government in scathing sermons in which they blamed them for the country’s financial crisis and political deadlock. Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, leader of the Maronite church, was speaking a …

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun has postponed by a week consultations aimed at choosing a prime minister to form a new government to tackle the country’s worst economic crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war, the presidency said on Wednesday. Aoun had been due to hold the consultations on Thursday and was …

Another act of shame by embattled Lebanese president Michel Aoun, this time for stealing a large quantity of tea meant for the poor and needed. Aoun is in hot water after it was revealed that tea donated by Sri Lanka for victims of the Beirut blast was distributed to families …

US President Donald Trump on Sunday called for Lebanon to conduct a “full and transparent investigation” into the huge explosion that hit Beirut, and expressed his support for protests demanding reform in the country. Trump “urged the Government of Lebanon to conduct a full and transparent investigation, in which the …

Lebanon’s Christian authorities slammed politicians on Sunday for failing to remedy an economic meltdown that has left many poor, piling pressure on the country’s leaders as it spirals deeper into crisis. In a sermon, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, the top Christian cleric, accused politicians of thinking only of their …

Stable security is essential for political, economic and financial stability, while confronting attempts to incite strife is the collective responsibility of all the country’s political parties, top leaders said in a statement Thursday after attending “national talks” at Baabda Palace boycotted by key opposition figures. President Michel Aoun chaired a …

Beirut: The Lebanese Leaders had agreed Thursday on the essential elements of a new electoral law, including the adoption of a proportional voting system. President Michel Aoun then signed a decree allowing Parliament to convene for an extraordinary session to vote on the law later this month. Aoun, Prime Minister …

The dispute between the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah, and the Amal movement over an electoral law is fueling sectarianism in the country.   THE LEVANT NEWS EXCLUSIVE – by Dr. Haytham Mouzahem – The relationship between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) is no longer as strong as it …

THE LEVANT NEWS — Lebanese President Michel Aoun suspended parliament on Wednesday to prevent it from extending its own term for the third time in less than four years. The legislature had been due to meet on Thursday to vote on an extension. In a live televised speech, Aoun said …

BEIRUT: An aide to Syrian President Bashar Assad affirmed “deep” bilateral ties between Damascus and Beirut after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun Monday. The Syrian Minister of Presidential Affairs Mansour Fadellulah Azam told reporters after the meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace to congratulate him on …

BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said Thursday that he will be seeking to form a “national accord” government quickly, saying one of its main tasks would be to agree on a “just” electoral law and hold parliamentary elections on time. “I look forward to starting the consultations to form …

By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam for REUTERS| BEIRUT — Twenty-six years after being forced from Lebanon’s presidential palace and into exile by the Syrian army, Michel Aoun is set to be elected head of state on Monday, backed by many of his old enemies. Barring a surprise, many of …

The Daily Star — BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri Wednesday said he will not vote for Free Patriotic Movement founder Michel Aoun in the upcoming parliamentary session to elect a president, although he will congratulate him if he wins. “I confirm that I will take part in the session …

THE LEVANT NEWS — BEIRUT –Free Patriotic Movement and Future Movement lawmakers will attend Thursday’s legislative session after an apparent deal had been reached between them regarding a contentious nationality draft law on the agenda. FPM’s participation was announced by the head of the party’s Change and Reform Bloc Michel …

Source: The Daily Star – The Lebanese Hezbollah supports dialogue between rival Christian political parties, an official said Wednesday after meeting with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun. Aoun received the member of Hezbollah’s political bureau Mahmoud Qmati and the former chief of Hezbollah’s Muslim-Christian dialogue committee Ghaleb Abu Zeinab …