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Critical Hours Ahead in Lebanon’s Presidential Election

In this picture taken on December 16, 2024, Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun walks towards the Grand Serail in Beirut. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
In this picture taken on December 16, 2024, Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun walks towards the Grand Serail in Beirut. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
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Critical Hours Ahead in Lebanon’s Presidential Election

In this picture taken on December 16, 2024, Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun walks towards the Grand Serail in Beirut. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
In this picture taken on December 16, 2024, Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun walks towards the Grand Serail in Beirut. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)

Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun is moving closer to becoming president ahead of a key parliamentary session to elect a new head of state.

Growing support from lawmakers and the withdrawal of Hezbollah-backed candidate Suleiman Franjieh have boosted Aoun’s chances, raising hopes of ending a 26-month presidential deadlock.

Local and international efforts have intensified to secure Aoun’s election. With at least 74 votes in his favor, he is the frontrunner.

However, the total falls short of what’s needed to amend the constitution, which bars senior officials from being elected unless they’ve been out of office for two years.

Electing Aoun as president depends on securing 86 votes to amend the constitution.

This requires support from lawmakers in the Amal Movement, Hezbollah, and their allies (31 votes) or the Free Patriotic Movement, led by Jebran Bassil (13 votes).

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed optimism ahead of the election session, saying: “For the first time since the presidential vacancy, I feel hopeful. God willing, we will have a new president.”

In a post on the X platform on Wednesday, Franjieh, who is the leader of Marada, said: "Now that the conditions are ripe for the election of a president tomorrow, I am withdrawing my candidacy, which has never been an obstacle in the electoral process."

He added that Aoun "enjoys the qualities that would preserve the standing of the country’s top post."

He hoped "the nation would overcome this stage with unity, diligence and responsibility."

Kataeb MP Elias Hankash said Lebanon needs a president who can revive the country, noting that “no foreign powers are dictating our choices, but the qualifications fit one, two, or three candidates, with Army Commander Joseph Aoun as the frontrunner.”

He added that Aoun enjoys broad international support and consensus but stressed that the constitution must not be used as an excuse to delay the election.

Similarly, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, speaking from Dar al-Fatwa, called for a consensual president who can implement Security Council Resolution 1701, boost the economy, and restore the judiciary.

He described Aoun as the best candidate to achieve these goals and pledged to support him in all voting rounds. Makhzoumi also urged Speaker Nabih Berri to cooperate to protect Lebanon and ensure stability.

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Arab World

Syria's Leader Sharaa in Berlin on Tuesday, Says German Presidency

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
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Syria's Leader Sharaa in Berlin on Tuesday, Says German Presidency

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be visiting Berlin next Tuesday and meet his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German presidency said.

The office of Chancellor Friedrich Merz has yet to announce whether they would also hold talks during the visit, which comes at a time when the German government is seeking to step up repatriations of Syrians to their homeland.

Arab World

US Envoy Opens File on Funds Smuggled from Iraq

Iraqis burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the Iranian consulate in Basra, January 13, 2026 (Reuters). 
Iraqis burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the Iranian consulate in Basra, January 13, 2026 (Reuters). 
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US Envoy Opens File on Funds Smuggled from Iraq

Iraqis burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the Iranian consulate in Basra, January 13, 2026 (Reuters). 
Iraqis burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the Iranian consulate in Basra, January 13, 2026 (Reuters). 

Iraqi politicians and observers warn of the potential fallout from a comprehensive review of suspicious financial transactions in Iraq as promised by US envoy Mark Savaya.

Meanwhile, a surprise decision by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the leading vote-getter in the elections, to relinquish his right to form a government in favor of runner-up Nouri al-Maliki continues to cast a shadow over the leadership of the Coordination Framework, the umbrella alliance of Shiite political forces.

Savaya, who was praised on Wednesday by US President Donald Trump for having done “a great job in Iraq,” announced on Thursday the launch of a comprehensive review of suspicious payments and financial transactions in Iraq.

The review will be conducted in cooperation with the US Treasury Department and the Office of Foreign Assets Control, alongside discussions on potential sanctions targeting networks that undermine financial integrity and finance terrorist activities.

Savaya has not yet made an official visit to Baghdad since assuming his role as presidential envoy to Iraq, although he previously visited the country in a personal capacity. He is of Christian Iraqi origin, and his family left Iraq in the 1990s.

In a statement, Savaya said he was meeting with the US Treasury Department and OFAC to discuss key challenges and reform opportunities in Iraq’s state-owned and private banks, with a particular focus on strengthening financial governance, compliance, and institutional accountability.

According to the statement, both sides agreed to conduct a comprehensive review of records related to suspicious payments and financial transactions involving Iraqi institutions, companies, and individuals linked to smuggling operations, money laundering, and fraudulent contracts and financial projects that fund and enable terrorist activities.

Discussions also included next steps regarding potential sanctions against entities and networks that undermine financial integrity and state authority.

Savaya said relations between Iraq and the United States have never been stronger than they are today under Trump’s leadership.

Iraqi politician and former electricity minister Luay al-Khatteeb told Asharq Al-Awsat that Savaya’s message aligns with statements made by the US chargé d’affaires during his shuttle meetings with political bloc leaders regarding Washington’s official stance should a parliamentary majority vote in favor of undesirable figures.

Al-Khatteeb said the Coordination Framework must act with intelligence, seriousness, and realism by selecting credible figures who exceed US administration expectations and command international respect.

He warned that Iraq’s political scene is deeply unsettled and that the economy is in its worst condition, heading toward collapse if Shiite leaders continue clinging to failed policies and appointing ineffective and internationally unacceptable figures.

“The choices of the Coordination Framework,” he said, “will be the official response and message to the international community - and especially to the US administration - either yielding rewards or exacting a heavy price.”

 

Arab World

Doctors Without Borders: Humanitarian Work in Sudan Hampered by Bureaucratic Hurdles

Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, International President of Doctors Without Borders (AFP) 
Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, International President of Doctors Without Borders (AFP) 
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Doctors Without Borders: Humanitarian Work in Sudan Hampered by Bureaucratic Hurdles

Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, International President of Doctors Without Borders (AFP) 
Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, International President of Doctors Without Borders (AFP) 

The health system in Sudan is suffering, with massive shortage of medical staff and supplies, said Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, International President of Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Abdelmoneim said a large number of hospitals have been damaged, or completely out of service, amid widespread disease outbreaks like cholera and measles, pushing an already fragile health system to the brink.

Earlier, the World Health Organization said about 65% of the population lack access to healthcare and between 70 – 80% of health facilities are not functioning due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023.

Abdelmoneim said assistance in Sudan is urgent, including in the fields of maternal and childcare, treatment of injuries, infant and childbirth, infectious diseases, and malnutrition.

Also, the population in Sudan is in urgent need of safe drinking water, sanitation services, psychological support, and assistance for survivors of sexual violence due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

He reported that access to health service facilities remains severely restricted due to insecurity and persistent bureaucratic obstacles.

Abdelmoneim noted that while MSF is not directly affected by these restrictions, other humanitarian organizations face an additional hurdle of limited funding and reduced aid.

Concerning the situation in El Fasher, the official said MSF treated residents who had been trapped in the city, which was under siege by the RSF for approximately 500 days.

After the RSF took control of the city, many survivors fled, often walking 60 km to the nearby town of Tawila, where MSF teams provided emergency medical care.

Abdelmoneim said the survivors arrived exhausted, malnourished, dehydrated, with traumatic injuries, gunshot wounds, and infected wounds.

On their journeys, they saw many dead bodies, and suffered torture, kidnappings for ransom, sexual violence, humiliation, and had everything they owned stolen, he said.

Concerning civilians who were still alive in El Fasher before 26 October, Abdelmoneim said they faced extreme violence including massacres, ethnic cleansing inside the city, and while escaping.

100 Violence Incidents

Abdelmoneim then mentioned the attacks on health care facilities, resulting in deaths and injuries.

He said that since April 2023, MSF has documented 100 incidents of violence targeting its staff, facilities, vehicles and supplies, including looting and destruction of clinics, theft of medicines, assaults, and threats to health workers.