Hezbollah does not oppose Lebanese army chief’s candidacy for president

BEIRUT

The Lebanese group Hezbollah said Sunday that it does not oppose the candidacy of Lebanese Army Chief Joseph Aoun for president.

“Hezbollah does not veto Gen. Aoun’s candidacy for president,” Wafiq Safa, who heads the group’s liaison unit, said in a televised speech.

“The only veto we have is against Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces Party because he is a project of division and destruction for the country,” he added.

The speech marked Safa’s first public appearance since an Israeli airstrike targeted him in Beirut’s Nuwairi area in October.

The Lebanese Parliament is scheduled to convene on Jan. 9 to elect a new president to replace Michel Aoun, who left office in October 2022.

A candidate needs two-thirds of the vote, or 86 lawmakers, to make it through the first stage. An absolute majority is needed in subsequent rounds.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi