Lebanon’s Army Chief Vows to Safeguard Security

Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun (Army website)
Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun (Army website)
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Lebanon’s Army Chief Vows to Safeguard Security

Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun (Army website)
Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun (Army website)

Lebanon’s Army Chief vowed on Friday to safeguard the country’s security saying the military will never let “sedition and chaos infiltrate the internal arena.”

“We will never allow security to be shaken, we will never let sedition and chaos find a way into our internal arena, in the hope that political solutions capable of saving the country and preventing its collapse are reached,” said General Joseph Aoun in his Order of the Day marking the 77th Army Day.

The Army Chief said that Lebanese youth should regain their trust in their homeland which is in dire need of their capabilities and potential to rise again.

“Let the dream of rebuilding Lebanon be stronger than the dream of immigration,” he said.

Aoun’s name is being circulated as a presidential candidate to succeed President Michel Aoun whose term ends on October 31.

Addressing the military, Aoun added: “You live in exceptional circumstances, and you, like our people, suffer from the economic crisis that began about three years ago. This crisis, which worsened recently, led to paralysis in most of the state's sectors and institutions. This produced negative repercussions in various fields. Only the military institution is still cohesive and ready to assume its full responsibilities towards its homeland and its people with determination, will, and conviction.”

“Sacrifice is at the core of our motto,” stressed Aoun, adding that “no matter how harsh the circumstances and intense the challenges, the army will remain a pillar of Lebanon's structure.”

Citing Israeli threats against Lebanon and other challenges facing the country, Aoun urged the military to “remain ready to face all dangers: the Israeli enemy and its constant threats and ambitions in our natural resources on the one hand, and terrorism that is waiting for the chance to regain its activity on the other hand.

“We should not forget the danger that threatens our society and the future of our youth, which is drugs. The pursuit of its dealers and promoters will remain a priority,” emphasized Aoun.

"Our commitment to formal positions is imperative, especially the maritime border demarcation issue. Our commitment to international resolutions and strengthening cooperation with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is an absolute necessity...What concerns us, is the cohesion of the institution and its continuity in performing its tasks, as well as the security and stability of Lebanon," he concluded.



94 Palestinians Killed in Gaza, Including 45 People Waiting for Aid

A Palestinian inspects the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
A Palestinian inspects the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
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94 Palestinians Killed in Gaza, Including 45 People Waiting for Aid

A Palestinian inspects the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
A Palestinian inspects the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Airstrikes and shootings killed 94 Palestinians in Gaza overnight, including 45 while attempting to get much-needed humanitarian aid, hospitals and the Health Ministry said Thursday.

Israel’s military did not have immediate comment on the strikes, The Associated Press reported.

Five people were killed while outside sites associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the newly created, secretive American organization backed by Israel to feed the Gaza Strip’s population, while 40 others were killed waiting for aid trucks in other locations across the Gaza Strip.

Dozens of people were killed in airstrikes that pounded the Strip Wednesday night and Thursday morning, including 15 people killed in strikes that hit tents in the sprawling Muwasi zone, where many displaced Palestinians are sheltering, and a strike on a school in Gaza City sheltering displaced people.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has passed 57,000, including 223 missing people who have been declared dead. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its death count but says that more than half of the dead are women and children.

The deaths come as Israel and Hamas inch closer to a possible ceasefire that would end the 21-month war.

Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. But Hamas’ response, which emphasized its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialize into an actual pause in fighting.

The Israeli military blames Hamas for the civilian casualties because it operates from populated areas. The military said it targeted Hamas members and rocket launchers in northern Gaza that launched rockets towards Israel on Wednesday.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.

The war has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced, often multiple times. And the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, leaving hundreds of thousands of people hungry.