Lebanon's new President Joseph Aoun says his first official abroad trip will be to Saudi Arabia

Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun on Saturday promised that his first foreign visit as the country’s leader would be to Saudi Arabia.

In a phone call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who had called to congratulate him on winning the elections, Aoun said, “Saudi Arabia would be the first destination in his visits abroad.”

Earlier this week, Aoun, Lebanon’s army chief, was elected as the country’s president in the second round of voting, after he fell short of the two-thirds majority in the first round of the parliamentary vote.

He required a simple majority of 65 votes in the second round, which he secured after having got the support of 71 of the 128 lawmakers in the first round. He was required to win 86 votes in the first round to be elected as the president.

More from World

Earthquake of magnitude 5.9 jolts Assam, tremors felt in Bhutan and north Bengal 5 US F-35 jets land in Puerto Rico amid tensions with Venezuela

After winning the elections, the leader said, “Today, a new phase in the history of Lebanon begins,” as he promised to rebuild south Lebanon and other parts of the country he said had been destroyed by Israel, and also to prevent Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which was mired in deep economic and political crises even before the latest conflict.

The West Asian country has been operating without a full-fledged functional government since its last president Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022. Lebanon has tried to elect a new leader to head the government at least 12 times but all those attempts proved futile amid a deadlock in parliament between pro- and anti-Hezbollah blocs.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

‘The cries of this widow will echo’: In first public remarks, Erika Kirk warns Charlie’s killers they’ve ‘unleashed a fire’

Trump urges Nato to back sanctions on Russia, calls for 50–100% tariffs on China

With inputs agencies