The White House is pushing to use Israel’s war on Hezbollah as an opportunity for Lebanon to pick a new president and break the group’s grip on the weak and divided state.
United States officials reportedly believe Israel’s offensive and the killing of Hezbollah’s leadership could be a chance to end a debilitating political impasse which has helped the group cement its dominance.
Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, has called the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to ask them to support the election of a new president who could end a two-year power void in Lebanon, The Wall Street Journal reported.
At the same time, the White House is also pushing to end Israel’s widening offensive by reviving a failed 18-year-old United Nations plan to demilitarise its border with Lebanon.
The two initiatives have in recent days emerged as significant planks of Joe Biden’s attempts to halt Israel’s offensive and restore calm along the border before the Middle East slips into a wider war.
Lebanon’s political parties, including Iran-backed Hezbollah, have been unable to choose a new president since Michel Aoun finished his term in 2022.
Members of parliament must vote for the president, and under Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, it has always been a Christian.
However, no single political bloc currently has enough votes to guarantee their choice.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah until his assassination in an Israeli air strike last month, had blocked efforts to elect anyone except his political ally Suleiman Frangieh.
Hezbollah and its allies narrowly lost their parliamentary majority in the 2022 elections, but still won 62 of the 128 seats.
The deadlock has left the country adrift and politically paralysed, while cementing the dominance of sectarian elites, including Hezbollah.
Mr Blinken on Friday telephoned the Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, to discuss the impasse.
He told reporters: “It’s clear that the people of Lebanon have an interest — a strong interest — in the state asserting itself and taking responsibility for the country and its future.”
As if that will mean Israel stops bombing innocent people. Netanyahu has gone full crazy and sadly US is supporting him
EpicCrisis2 on
Good, should try to crush Iran’s proxy terror groups while there’s still a chance.
mcs5280 on
Worked out so well in Iraq and Afghanistan surely it will work here too
Are_you_blind_sir on
Thats all good and all but there is still the issue of Iran and Yemen and the in grained hatred for jews
Dangerous_Cobbler_87 on
I hope this does something. Lebanon is full of potential and Hezbollah
[deleted] on
[deleted]
pascualama on
Another coup over a sovereign nation by the US
NappyFlickz on
For those that don’t know, aside from Hezbollah, Lebanon’s weakened executive branch is largely because their voting populace was enduring similar shenanigans that we have been recently in elections (insanely unpopular candidates no one wants), and they got sick of it and largely abstained to make their displeasure known.
Source: Lebanese ex gf.
Moule14 on
Yeah what we need is yet another ingerance of the US in a middle east state.
CatchCritic on
It’s weird that they’re trying to revive 1701. If they end the offensive and just install more peacekeepers, then the Lebanese gov’t has no chance against Hizbullah.
No_Fail4267 on
If only we could do the same for Gaza…
circleoftorment on
Is Telegraph trolling? Just casually saying USA wants regime change?
Iraq v.2 here we goooo
philly_jake on
Hard to have an election that’s considered legitimate by people when over a million (in a country of 6 million) are displaced from the south so recently. Granted, many of those displaced will be non-citizens (Palestinian and Syrian refugees), but still, that’s a lot voters displaced who need to be accounted for in a somewhat verifiable way.
14 Comments
***The Telegraph reports***:
The White House is pushing to use Israel’s war on Hezbollah as an opportunity for Lebanon to pick a new president and break the group’s grip on the weak and divided state.
United States officials reportedly believe Israel’s offensive and the killing of Hezbollah’s leadership could be a chance to end a debilitating political impasse which has helped the group cement its dominance.
Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, has called the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to ask them to support the election of a new president who could end a two-year power void in Lebanon, The Wall Street Journal reported.
At the same time, the White House is also pushing to end Israel’s widening offensive by reviving a failed 18-year-old United Nations plan to demilitarise its border with Lebanon.
The two initiatives have in recent days emerged as significant planks of Joe Biden’s attempts to halt Israel’s offensive and restore calm along the border before the Middle East slips into a wider war.
Lebanon’s political parties, including Iran-backed Hezbollah, have been unable to choose a new president since Michel Aoun finished his term in 2022.
Members of parliament must vote for the president, and under Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, it has always been a Christian.
However, no single political bloc currently has enough votes to guarantee their choice.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah until his assassination in an Israeli air strike last month, had blocked efforts to elect anyone except his political ally Suleiman Frangieh.
Hezbollah and its allies narrowly lost their parliamentary majority in the 2022 elections, but still won 62 of the 128 seats.
The deadlock has left the country adrift and politically paralysed, while cementing the dominance of sectarian elites, including Hezbollah.
Mr Blinken on Friday telephoned the Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, to discuss the impasse.
He told reporters: “It’s clear that the people of Lebanon have an interest — a strong interest — in the state asserting itself and taking responsibility for the country and its future.”
**Full story:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/12/us-calls-new-president-lebanon-loosen-hezbollah-grip/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/12/us-calls-new-president-lebanon-loosen-hezbollah-grip/)
As if that will mean Israel stops bombing innocent people. Netanyahu has gone full crazy and sadly US is supporting him
Good, should try to crush Iran’s proxy terror groups while there’s still a chance.
Worked out so well in Iraq and Afghanistan surely it will work here too
Thats all good and all but there is still the issue of Iran and Yemen and the in grained hatred for jews
I hope this does something. Lebanon is full of potential and Hezbollah
[deleted]
Another coup over a sovereign nation by the US
For those that don’t know, aside from Hezbollah, Lebanon’s weakened executive branch is largely because their voting populace was enduring similar shenanigans that we have been recently in elections (insanely unpopular candidates no one wants), and they got sick of it and largely abstained to make their displeasure known.
Source: Lebanese ex gf.
Yeah what we need is yet another ingerance of the US in a middle east state.
It’s weird that they’re trying to revive 1701. If they end the offensive and just install more peacekeepers, then the Lebanese gov’t has no chance against Hizbullah.
If only we could do the same for Gaza…
Is Telegraph trolling? Just casually saying USA wants regime change?
Iraq v.2 here we goooo
Hard to have an election that’s considered legitimate by people when over a million (in a country of 6 million) are displaced from the south so recently. Granted, many of those displaced will be non-citizens (Palestinian and Syrian refugees), but still, that’s a lot voters displaced who need to be accounted for in a somewhat verifiable way.