Lebanon elects Hezbollah ally as president

Lebanon’s election of Michel Aoun is perceived as a clear victory for the growing pro-Iranian axis in the Middle East, giving a boost to Hezbollah and its ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Lebanon’s parliament on Monday elected Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian, a former Lebanon army commander and strong ally of the Hezbollah terror organization, as president.

Monday’s vote ended a more than two-year power vacuum in the country’s top post and was the result of 45 sessions the house held on this issue.

A chaotic session in the country’s house of representatives concluded with Aoun receiving 83 votes out of 127 lawmakers present at the session, the two-third majority required to secure his presidency.

Several rounds of voting were required because surplus ballots appeared in the ballot box each time.

Aoun said after the vote that Lebanon has so far been spared of the turbulence in the region, and his responsibility is to keep it that way and embrace a responsible foreign policy. He also vowed to release Lebanon’s “occupied territories,” ostensibly land in northern Israel.

The Lebanese vote and Aoun’s election is perceived as a clear victory for the growing pro-Iranian axis in the Middle East, giving a boost to Hezbollah and its ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad.

By: World Israel News Staff
AP contributed to this report.