BEIRUT - Lebanon’s Parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Jan 9, filling the vacant presidency with a general who has US support and showing the weakened sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.

The weakening of Hezbollah in last year's war with Israel allowed Lebanon's long deadlocked parliament to reach consensus around a president who has the confidence of the international community.

Joseph Aoun president Thursday, ending a political deadlock that had kept the office vacant since October 2022. Aoun, 60, won 99 of 128 votes. The election of Aoun, widely seen as the preferred candidate of the U.

Lebanon’s parliament has elected its US-backed army chief to be the country’s next president, ending a years-long political stalemate and presidential vacuum.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday welcomed the election of his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun after the country went more than two years without a head of state, saying unity will "defeat" Israel.

1920 - The League of Nations grants the mandate for Lebanon and Syria to France, which creates the State of Greater Lebanon out of the provinces of Mount Lebanon, north Lebanon, south Lebanon and the Bekaa. 1926 - Lebanese Representative Council approves a constitution and the unified Lebanese Republic under the French mandate is declared.

The outcome showed the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group after its devastating war with Israel.

As the country endured economic crisis and a devastating war, lawmakers failed 12 times to pick a head of state. They have now settled on Joseph Aoun, the leader of the military.

The footage of the missile base at an undisclosed location “in the mountains” and the parade by paramilitary Basij volunteers come after the weakening of Iran's allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during wars with Israel.

Iran unveiled an underground missile storage facility and announced Friday that it is manufacturing “new special missiles,” according to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) affiliated Tasnim news.

With Iran's proxies weakened, vehicles with missiles, artillery parade streets, black-clad women carry rifles; Pezeshkian lauds Aoun’s election, says Lebanon unity will ‘defeat’ Israel