Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun as head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who enjoys U.S. approval and showing that the Iran-backed Hezbollah group has lost influence after its devastating war with Israel .
The result reflected shifts within the balance of power in Lebanon and the broader Middle East, with the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah hit hard by last 12 months's war and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad toppled in December.
It also suggested a revival of Saudi influence in a rustic where Riyadh's role was way back eclipsed by Iran and Hezbollah.
The presidential office, reserved for a Maronite Christian under Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant because the end of Michel Aoun's term in October 2022 as deeply divided factions didn’t agree on a candidate who could win enough votes within the 128-seat parliament .
According to parliament speaker Nabih Berri, Aoun failed to succeed in the required 86 votes in the primary round, but exceeded the brink with 99 votes within the second round after he was supported by MPs from Hezbollah and its Shiite ally, the Amal Movement.
Momentum behind Aoun grew on Wednesday as Suleiman Frangieh, Hezbollah's long-favored candidate, withdrew and declared his support for the military commander, and as French and Saudi envoys shuttled backwards and forwards in Beirut, stating his support in meetings with politicians election, three Lebanese political sources said.
A source near the Saudi royal court said French, Saudi and U.S. envoys had told Berri, a detailed Hezbollah ally, that international financial aid – including from Saudi Arabia – trusted Aoun's election.
“There is a very clear message from the international community that it is ready to support Lebanon, but for that it needs a president, a government,” Michel Mouawad, a Christian Hezbollah opponent who voted for Aoun, told the Vote to Reuters. “We received a message of support from Saudi Arabia,” he added.
Aoun's election is a primary step toward revitalizing government institutions in a rustic that has not had a head of state or a completely empowered cabinet since Aoun left office.
Lebanon, whose economy continues to be reeling from the devastating financial collapse of 2019, urgently needs international support to rebuild after the war, which the World Bank estimates cost the country $8.5 billion.
Lebanon's system of presidency requires the brand new president to call consultations with lawmakers to appoint a Sunni Muslim prime minister to form a brand new cabinet. This process can often be lengthy because the factions swap ministerial portfolios.
Aoun plays a key role in securing a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, negotiated by Washington and Paris in November. The terms stipulate that the Lebanese military will likely be stationed in southern Lebanon while Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw their troops.
Aoun, 60, has been commander of the US-backed Lebanese army since 2017. Under his watch, U.S. aid continued to flow to the military, a part of a longstanding U.S. policy focused on supporting state institutions to curb Hezbollah's influence.
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