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Geagea: Aoun’s Presidency Turned Lebanon into Failed State

Geagea during his speech on Sunday. (Lebanese Forces)
Geagea during his speech on Sunday. (Lebanese Forces)
    Beirut, Tehran, London – Asharq Al-Awsat
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Geagea: Aoun’s Presidency Turned Lebanon into Failed State

Geagea during his speech on Sunday. (Lebanese Forces)
Geagea during his speech on Sunday. (Lebanese Forces)

Lebanese Force leader Samir Geagea slammed on Sunday President Michel Aoun, saying his term was catastrophic for Lebanon.

“His term is that of complete collapse that is being managed by ruling groups that have surrendered authority and state sovereignty,” he added during an address commemorating LF martyrs.

“They have turned Lebanon into a failed state that is ruled by the corrupt, failures, thieves, traitors and criminals,” he stressed.

“There can be no salvation and progress with this ruling class, whose strong foundation is the Hezbollah and Free Patriotic Movement,” he added. The FPM was founded by Aoun and is now headed by his son-in-law Gebran Bassil.

“Aoun’s presidency has been very catastrophic for all Lebanese, especially the Christians,” remarked Geagea.

He acknowledged the criticism against the LF that had reached an agreement with the FPM in 2016 that ensured Aoun’s election as president.

“We extremely regret that a move that was full of good intentions would backfire,” he said. The Maarab agreement, he stressed, had national and Christian intentions. It sought to end the presidential vacuum, achieve national unity and mend historic wounds.

“Unfortunately, the deal turned into an unprecedented tragedy for Lebanon,” lamented Geagea.

“Lebanon is in need of a captain, who can steer the state ship towards safety, not a pirate, who has taken the people hostage to his selfishness and is steering the ship according to his interests.”

Separately, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi informed his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Sunday that Tehran supports the formation of a strong Lebanese government.

In telephone talks with Macron, he said Iran was prepared to cooperate with France to that end.

The formation of a strong government “may ensure and protect the rights of the Lebanese people,” he was quoted as saying by Iranian media.

“We are ready to work with France towards Lebanon and its development,” he stressed, adding that Iran, France and Hezbollah’s efforts to form a strong government “fall in Lebanon’s favor.”

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Syria’s Reconciliation Committee Prioritizes Stability after Anger Over Prisoner Releases

Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
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Syria’s Reconciliation Committee Prioritizes Stability after Anger Over Prisoner Releases

Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)

Syria’s High Committee for National Reconciliation has defended recent controversial prisoner releases, saying the decision aims to preserve national stability amid ongoing tensions.

Committee member Hassan Soufan confirmed that several officers recently freed had voluntarily surrendered in 2021 at the Iraqi border and in the Al-Sukhna region, under a formal request for safe conduct.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus on Tuesday, Soufan addressed public backlash following the releases and acknowledged the deep pain felt by victims’ families.

“We fully understand the anger and grief of the families of martyrs,” he said. “But the current phase requires decisions that can help secure relative stability for the coming period.”

The controversy erupted after the Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday the release of dozens of detainees in Latakia, many of whom were arrested during the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation, which contributed to the fall of the Assad regime.

Among those involved in the mediation effort was Fadi Saqr, a former commander in the regime’s National Defense Forces, who has been accused of war crimes, including involvement in the Tadamon massacre in southern Damascus.

Soufan explained that the released officers had undergone investigation and were found not to have participated in war crimes. “Keeping them imprisoned no longer serves a national interest,” he said. “It has no legal justification.”

He stressed that Syria is in a delicate phase of national reconciliation, in which balancing justice and peace is critical.

“There are two parallel tracks - transitional justice and civil peace - and today, the priority is civil peace, as it lays the groundwork for all other strategic efforts,” he said.

Soufan added that the committee has requested expanded powers from the Syrian president, including the authority to release detainees not proven guilty and to coordinate directly with state institutions.

He insisted that the aim is not to bypass justice, but to prevent further bloodshed. “Vengeance and retribution are not paths to justice,” he said. “They allow real criminals to slip away while deepening divisions.”

While affirming that transitional justice remains essential, Soufan noted that it should focus on top perpetrators of atrocities, not individuals who merely served under the regime. “Justice means accountability for those who planned and carried out major crimes, not blanket punishment.”