Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun was elected the country’s new president.

Lebanon’s parliament on Thursday elected army chief Joseph Aoun as the country’s new president, ending a long-running political impasse and presidential vacancy, CNN reported.

Aoun was elected after two rounds of voting, following extensive efforts by the United States and Saudi Arabia to garner support for him/her. Both countries have close ties with Aoun, who is close to Washington and Riyadh.

Following his/her election, Aoun abandoned his/her military role and arrived at parliament in civilian clothes to take the oath.

In his/her acceptance speech, Aoun declared the beginning of a “new era” for Lebanon, vowing to overcome the ongoing economic and political crises in the country. he/she also made a rare pledge of a “monopoly on weapons” under state authority, signaling his/her intention to disarm Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group that has significant military influence in Lebanon, CNN reported.

In particular, Hezbollah, the most heavily armed terrorist group in the Middle East, had significant influence in many countries until it suffered heavy losses in the recent war with Israel. The conflict, combined with the weakening of its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has reignited domestic debate over disarming the group.

The US-brokered ceasefire agreement signed in November further weakened Hezbollah’s position by stipulating its withdrawal from the border area with Israel, and requiring Israeli forces to leave Lebanese territory by the end of January, CNN reports.

Although the Lebanese Army did not directly engage in the war with Israel, it played a key role in enforcing the terms of the ceasefire. protect

In his/her speech, Aoun emphasized that Lebanon, as a state, will work to free itself from Israeli occupation and mentioned the possibility of developing a national defense strategy against Israel without Hezbollah. , which has historically been responsible for confronting Israeli forces.

“The Lebanese state—I repeat, the Lebanese state—will get rid of the Israeli occupation,” Aoun said, as quoted by CNN.

he/she said, “My era will include discussion of our defensive strategy to enable the Lebanese state to rid itself of Israeli occupation and retaliate against its aggression.”

Lebanon had been without a president since October 2022, when former President Michel Aoun, backed by Hezbollah, completed his/her term. Attempts to elect a new president have failed 12 times in the past two years, deepening divisions between Lebanon’s pro-West and pro-Iran factions.

In the second round of voting, Aoun won 99 out of 128 votes. Hezbollah’s parliamentary faction supported his/her election in the second round to promote national unity, but withheld its vote in the first round as a statement of its stance on sovereignty, as reported by CNN. ,