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Lebanese Army Commander Rejects Extension of His Term

Lebanon’s Parliament (EPA)
Lebanon’s Parliament (EPA)
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Lebanese Army Commander Rejects Extension of His Term

Lebanon’s Parliament (EPA)
Lebanon’s Parliament (EPA)

Lebanon’s Army Commander General Joseph Aoun is opposed to the extension of his mandate, Lebanese political sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

This comes as Parliament is preparing to hold a legislative session to approve the extension of the tenure of the country’s security chiefs, in light of the ongoing failure to elect a new president.

Such session will be the first to be held following the expiry of former President Michel Aoun’s term, at the end of October 2022.

Sources close to Speaker Nabih Berri said that the legal quorum for its convening has become secured, unless the Strong Lebanon bloc, headed by MP Gebran Bassil, reconsidered its participation due to pressure exerted by other Christian parliamentary blocs.

However, the presence of the Strong Lebanon bloc in the session is not sufficient to secure a quorum for its convening, without the participation of the deputies of the Democratic Gathering, headed by MP Taymour Jumblatt, and a number of Sunni deputies belonging to the National Moderation bloc.

Those have demanded that the extension of the term of the head of the General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, comes in parallel with that of the Director General of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), Major General Imad Othman, who will be retired in May 2024.

Parliamentary sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Moderation bloc will announce its position at a meeting to be held on Tuesday, in light of the session’s agenda.

Meanwhile, LAF Commander General Joseph Aoun anticipated the extension of the tenures of security and military chiefs by informing his circles that he was not concerned with such decision, as he retires on Jan. 1, 2024.

Thus, he has enough time to remain at the head of the military institution to assume his role in preserving the country’s stability.

In this context, a political source said that the LAF chief was against the extension of his mandate, as such decision could lead to confusion in the military hierarchy.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.