In Lebanon, many saw the election on Thursday of Gen. Joseph Aoun, the commander of the Lebanese military, as a crucial step toward bringing stability to the country. It was also seen as a concession by Hezbollah and, some analysts said, an acknowledgment that the group was no longer in a position to paralyze the state.

Joseph Aoun is first president since 1990s not to be pre-approved by Tehran and Damascus, signaling an end to Iran-backed terror group's control of Lebanese politics, says analyst

Lebanon lawmakers elected army commander Joseph Aoun as the country’s first president in more than two years, picking a US-backed candidate in a sign of Iran’s waning influence in the region.More than two-thirds of politicians voted for Aoun to begin a six-year term,

The weakening of Hezbollah in last year's war with Israel allowed Lebanon's long deadlocked parliament to reach consensus around a president who has the confidence of the international community.

Joseph Aoun president Thursday, ending a political deadlock that had kept the office vacant since October 2022. Aoun, 60, won 99 of 128 votes. The election of Aoun, widely seen as the preferred candidate of the U.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday welcomed the election of his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun after the country went more than two years without a head of state, saying unity will "defeat" Israel.

1920 - The League of Nations grants the mandate for Lebanon and Syria to France, which creates the State of Greater Lebanon out of the provinces of Mount Lebanon, north Lebanon, south Lebanon and the Bekaa. 1926 - Lebanese Representative Council approves a constitution and the unified Lebanese Republic under the French mandate is declared.

The outcome showed the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group after its devastating war with Israel.

The footage of the missile base at an undisclosed location “in the mountains” and the parade by paramilitary Basij volunteers come after the weakening of Iran's allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during wars with Israel.

BEIRUT - Lebanon’s Parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Jan 9, filling the vacant presidency with a general who has US support and showing the weakened sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.

As the country endured economic crisis and a devastating war, lawmakers failed 12 times to pick a head of state. They have now settled on Joseph Aoun, the leader of the military.