Aoun Pledges Support for the Army, Calls for Non-Targeting; Mansour: We Adhere to Political Decision from Authority

Beirut – Mansour Shaaban

President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, placed the campaign targeting the military institution among his top priorities and discussed the matter with Minister of National Defense, Major General Michel Mneimneh, emphasizing “the importance of maintaining security stability.” He praised “the fundamental role played by the army in preserving public security and safety and implementing the decisions of the political authority,” calling for “not targeting the army, its leadership, officers, and personnel, for reasons that do not align with Lebanon’s supreme interests.”

Prior to the meeting, Mneimneh responded, through a statement from his office, to the treatment of the Lebanese Army and its leadership, under headings asserting the military institution’s commitment to government decisions without debate or objection, escalating to the point of questioning, doubting, and inciting against the army, its leadership, and its commander, and raising the issue of his resignation or dismissal, portraying him as an employee obligated to execute rather than object or express an opinion.

He stated that “the powers of the Council of Ministers are limited to decisions related to general defense and security policy, and not to issuing orders or instructions that fall exclusively within the authority and duties of the army’s leadership.” He affirmed that the military institution adheres to the political decision issued by the executive authority and the directives of the President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. However, the serious and grave national responsibility borne by the army is the highest priority, the most important consideration, and the ultimate goal under which it operates, ensuring that any decision takes into account the army’s capabilities and resources, preserves the morale of its officers and personnel, guarantees the unity of its people, and prevents any fitna that any step taken under any pressure or in response to any circumstance might lead to.

Meanwhile, the President of the Republic received the Army Commander, Major General Rodolphe Haykal, and discussed with him the security situation and the tasks performed by the army to maintain security and stability and implement the decisions of the political authority, despite the difficult conditions Lebanon and the region are undergoing.

In a parallel development, the first session of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission opened yesterday at the Ministry of Finance. Lebanese Minister of Finance Yassin Jaber chaired the Lebanese side in his capacity as head of the Lebanese negotiating delegation, with the participation of Minister of Economy and Trade Amer Hamieh, Central Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salameh, representatives from the offices of the Presidency and the Council of Ministers, as well as General Director of Finance Georges Maeroufi and the team of experts at the Ministry of Finance.

Following the meeting, Minister Jaber expressed hope “to reach a preliminary agreement with the Fund during the current week, thereby putting the resolution of the banking crisis on an implementation path.” He stated, “The government did not cause the banking crisis, but it is working with all its efforts to find a solution for it,” stressing that “Lebanon is in urgent need of ending this crisis and restoring an active banking sector that provides financing and loans and contributes to stimulating the national economy, as the country cannot continue to rely on a cash-based economy.”