One of Lebanon's leading politicians, Walid Joumblatt, is mourning the death of his long time dog, Oscar.
Joumblatt on Friday announced the death of Oscar, seen by his side more often than not, in a tweet: "Good bye best friend, good bye most valuable comrade. Good bye my beloved Oscar."
Joumblatt, a maverick politician and leader of the Druze community, made the announcement shortly before meeting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the U.S. ambassador's residence near Beirut.
In this picture taken on May 28, 2014, Walid Jumblatt, the political leader of Lebanon's minority Druse sect, sits next of his dog Oscar as he speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his garden house, in Beirut, Lebanon. Joumblatt announced the death of his long time dog Oscar who was seen next to him most of the time in a tweet in Arabic that read "good bye best friend, good bye most valuable comrade. Good bye my beloved Oscar." Joumblatt made the announcement an hour before he met U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, March 22, 2019 at the U.S. ambassador's residence near Beirut. (AP PhotoHussein Malla)
Over the past years, Oscar, a Shar Pei, often accompanied Joumblatt even when he met with dignitaries, whether in his Beirut home or mountain palace in Mukhtara village.
In a 2014 interview with the daily An-Nahar, Joumblatt had said that he and then 10-year-old Oscar were "getting old together."