Aoun Announces Exclusion of ‘Parties and Sects’ from Decision-Making in Lebanon

Aoun chairs the Cabinet session at the Lebanese Presidential Palace. (Lebanese Presidency) 
Aoun chairs the Cabinet session at the Lebanese Presidential Palace. (Lebanese Presidency) 
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Aoun Announces Exclusion of ‘Parties and Sects’ from Decision-Making in Lebanon

Aoun chairs the Cabinet session at the Lebanese Presidential Palace. (Lebanese Presidency) 
Aoun chairs the Cabinet session at the Lebanese Presidential Palace. (Lebanese Presidency) 

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirmed that decision-making in the country rests exclusively with the government, not political parties or sects. He stressed that reforms are essential for Lebanon’s stability, beyond being an international demand.

Aoun’s remarks came during the first cabinet meeting at Baabda Palace following the government’s vote of confidence. The session addressed a 25-item agenda, along with urgent matters. Before the meeting, the president held discussions with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on current developments.

The government approved the 2025 budget by decree and tasked the finance minister with revising certain fees within a week. It also adopted a plan to implement reforms based on priority.

Aoun briefed the cabinet on his recent visit to Saudi Arabia, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He stated that Riyadh is open to supporting Lebanon once reforms are enacted. He also requested the lifting of the travel ban on Saudis visiting Lebanon and the facilitation of Lebanese exports to the Kingdom, noting that these matters are under review. A follow-up visit to Saudi Arabia is planned after Eid al-Fitr, with several ministers expected to sign bilateral agreements.

Aoun also discussed his participation in the emergency Arab summit in Egypt, where he met with ten heads of state. He highlighted their support for Lebanon, pending reforms, and noted interest in visiting the country. He mentioned that Jordan’s King Abdullah II pledged political and military support, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas backed Lebanon’s policies regarding Palestinian refugee camps.

Regarding the appointments, Aoun stressed that only the cabinet has the authority to make decisions, urging ministers to maintain confidentiality and avoid political interference.

After the session, Salam announced that future meetings would be held in an independent location in line with the Taif Agreement, with details to be revealed next week.

Foreign Minister Youssef Raji indicated that diplomatic appointments are under review, with a temporary extension granted to six ambassadors. Meanwhile, Information Minister Paul Morcos announced tax exemptions for those affected by the Israeli war and the appointment of 63 specialized officers in the Internal Security Forces.



US Envoy Reaffirms Backing for Damascus, Rules Out ‘Plan B’

US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, arrives for a meeting with the Lebanese prime minister at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 07 July 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, arrives for a meeting with the Lebanese prime minister at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 07 July 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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US Envoy Reaffirms Backing for Damascus, Rules Out ‘Plan B’

US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, arrives for a meeting with the Lebanese prime minister at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 07 July 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, arrives for a meeting with the Lebanese prime minister at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 07 July 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

The United States will keep backing Syria’s government and has no “Plan B” to working with it to unite the war‑scarred country back together, still reeling from years of civil war and wracked by new sectarian violence, US envoy Tom Barrack said on Monday.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Barrack – Washington’s ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria, who is also on a short assignment in Lebanon – called last week’s Israeli strikes inside Syria “badly timed” and said they had “complicated efforts to stabilize the region.”

Barrack spoke in Beirut after more than a week of clashes in Sweida province between Druze militiamen and Sunni Bedouin tribes.

Over the weekend he brokered what he described as a limited ceasefire between Syria and Israel, aimed only at halting the fighting in Sweida. Syrian government troops have since redeployed in the area and evacuated civilians from both communities on Monday, he said.

Barrack told the AP that “the killing, the revenge, the massacres on both sides” are “intolerable,” but that “the current government of Syria, in my opinion, has conducted themselves as best they can as a nascent government with very few resources to address the multiplicity of issues that arise in trying to bring a diverse society together.”

Regarding Israel’s strikes on Syria, Barrack said: “The United States was not asked, nor did they participate in that decision, nor was it the United States’ responsibility in matters that Israel feels is for its own self-defense.”

However, he said Israel’s intervention “creates another very confusing chapter” and “came at a very bad time.”

Prior to the violence in Sweida, Israel and Syria had been in talks over security matters, while the Trump administration had been pushing them to move toward full normalization of diplomatic relations.

When the latest fighting erupted, “Israel’s view was that south of Damascus was this questionable zone, so that whatever happened militarily in that zone needed to be agreed upon and discussed with them,” Barrack said. “The new government (in Syria) coming in was not exactly of that belief.”

The ceasefire announced Saturday between Syria and Israel is a limited agreement addressing only the conflict in Sweida, he said. It does not address broader issues including Israel’s contention that the area south of Damascus should be a demilitarized zone.

In the discussions leading up to the ceasefire, Barrack said “both sides did the best they can” to reach agreement on specific questions related to the movement of Syrian forces and equipment from Damascus to Sweida.

He suggested that Israel would prefer to see Syria fragmented and divided rather than a strong central state in control of the country.

Later Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X that Israel’s strikes “were the only way to stop the massacre of the Druze in Syria, the brothers of our brothers the Israeli Druze”.

Katz added: “Anyone who criticizes the attacks is unaware of the facts,” he continued. It was not clear if he was responding to Barrack’s comments.

Damascus has been negotiating with the Kurdish forces that control much of northeast Syria to implement an agreement that would merge the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces with the new national army.