Lebanon needs president who can address security, economic challenges: parliament member

A new president of Lebanon should be elected as soon as possible to lead the country in addressing the security and economic challenges, said a member of the Lebanese Parliament.

Political division in Lebanon resulted in a vacant presidential position following the end of former President Michel Aoun's term on Oct. 31, 2022. The parliament has failed to elect a president for the country in 12 electoral sessions. A caretaker government has been running the country amid the presidential vacuum.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has announced that he will convene a new session for the presidential election on January 9.

"We must seize the opportunity on January 9 to go to Parliament with determination to elect a president," said Lebanese Parliament member Nabil Bader in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that aired on Tuesday.

Lebanon was already facing a serious economic crisis before the current round of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, suffering from banking collapse, energy shortage, and severe livelihood problems. The escalation since late September of 2024 has further aggravated Lebanon's plight.

Bader believes that addressing the huge macroeconomic challenges will be an important task for the new government.

"Everyone knows that Lebanon's economy has completely collapsed. Therefore, the first step is to restore the credibility of the Lebanese banking system. Secondly, I hope that the future government will propose new laws to support investment and encourage investors to return to Lebanon, especially in the power sector and business investment area," he said.

Speaking of the current security situation, Bader said that Israel is still violating the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon and the Lebanese people are still worried about their safety. If the new president fails to properly resolve the issues in the ceasefire agreement, he said, Lebanon may fall into crisis again.

"International and regional forces need to get Israel to respect the ceasefire deal and withdraw from Lebanon, and demand that Hezbollah hand over its weapons south of the Litani River. Lebanon should also discuss weapons north of the Litani River internally. These issues should be on the agenda of any future government or president, otherwise we will repeat the mistakes of the past. But Lebanese, including those living in the south, cannot afford another crisis," Bader said.

Lebanon needs president who can address security, economic challenges: parliament member

Lebanon needs president who can address security, economic challenges: parliament member

Lebanon needs president who can address security, economic challenges: parliament member

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.

Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.

Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.

The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.

Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.

Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest