Aoun says did not offer pledges to Hezbollah, rejects Barrack's remarks
President Joseph Aoun has said that the latest remarks attributed to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack are "rejected by all Lebanese."
Asked about statements by Hezbollah MPs that he had pledged prior to his election that a defense strategy would be approved without including the removal of Hezbollah's arms and allegations about the presence of a paper signed by him, Aoun said: "Let them publish it now if it exists. I'm responsible for my word and there is neither an agreement nor a signed paper."
"How could I have committed to that and an hour later I deliver a inaugural speech in which I pledged that there would be an arms monopolization?" Aoun wondered.
13 December 2025, 18:13
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President Joseph Aoun has said that the latest remarks attributed to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack are "rejected by all Lebanese." If you don't know what he's referring to, you're not supposed to know. Maybe Barrack said Aoun pledged to let Hezbullah continue to defend the country.
13 December 2025, 18:18
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You could rebut by saying Hezbullah is only defending itself, which directs the conversation back to state-racism: if there was no Article 24 set-aside of half the legislature to Christians, Muslims would not feel the need to defend themselves from the racist state and its military. If you rebut that the Lebanese Army has many non-Christians, that reminds us that all racist regimes depend on the support of many members of the despised community to enforce the regime's will on the rest of the despised community. What do you call such people?
