The Lebanese president is due at the Vatican tomorrow. Talks (including with the Italian government) will focus on territorial integrity and an alternative to UNIFIL. In southern Lebanon, clashes are taking place over control of a key Hezbollah position in Nabatiyeh. Parliament has approved a general amnesty and abolished the death penalty.
The tragic incident was the result of widespread silence among some of the country’s leaders at the time. Several people aware of the danger remained silent out of complicity, negligence, or cowardice. President Aoun calls on the court to uphold its independence. Doubts remain about the end of Hezbollah's (and Iran’s) hegemony over the state.
Saudi Arabia’s entry into the war would have serious consequences for the Land of the Cedars. In the pilot zones, the Israeli withdrawal – with control being handed over to the Lebanese army – is proceeding slowly and fraught with difficulties. Even a large proportion of the Shia population are weary of the war. In Nabatyeh, an entire generation is at risk of being ‘sacrificed’.
In the first White House meeting with a Lebanese president since 2009, there were many promises, but it is hard to see how they can be kept. On the eve of his trip, Aoun secured the support of the Saudi prince. The redeployment of the Lebanese army to the “pilot zones” in place of Israel is fraught with tension.
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