Joseph Aoun

President of Lebanon - Overseeing disarmament effort

Israel and Hezbollah signed a ceasefire on November 27, 2024, ending a year of cross-border war that killed nearly 4,000 Lebanese and displaced 1.4 million people. Fifteen months later, Israel has conducted over 10,500 documented violations—including 7,500 airspace violations and more than 3,000 ground and air strikes—with over 450 people killed since the truce began, including major strikes on February 21, 2026 in the Bekaa Valley near Baalbek killing at least 10 including eight Hezbollah operatives and three children, and a separate strike on Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp killing two Hamas operatives.

Updated Feb 16

President of Lebanon - Pursuing state monopoly on weapons amid Israeli attacks and Hezbollah resistance

An Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanese town of Yanouh on February 9, 2026, killed three people, including a three-year-old child named Ali Jaber. Israel said the strike targeted Ahmad Salami, a Hezbollah artillery commander it accused of violating the ceasefire by rebuilding military infrastructure. The child's father, Hassan Jaber, a member of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, was also killed.

Updated Feb 9

President of Lebanon - Leading state disarmament effort since January 2025

Lebanon's army says it now controls the south—except for five hilltops Israel refuses to give up. On January 8, 2026, the military announced it had completed phase one of disarming Hezbollah and other militias south of the Litani River, bringing weapons under state control for the first time in 40 years. Over 9,000 soldiers swept the war-battered region, clearing unexploded ordnance and tunnels left from the devastating 2024 war that killed 4,000 people and displaced 1.3 million. Hours later, Iran's foreign minister arrived in Beirut for tense talks, and the next day Israel resumed strikes across southern Lebanon—business as usual despite the milestone announcement.

Updated Jan 10