U.S. officials say the White House wants to take advantage of Israel's massive blow to Hezbollah's leadership and infrastructure to push for an election of a new Lebanese president in the coming days.
Why it matters: Lebanon hasn't had a president for almost two years, which has increased instability and exacerbated the political and economic crisis in the country.
- Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah, top militia commanders and other Hezbollah members were killed by Israeli airstrikes in recent weeks, weakening the influential militia.
- The Israeli attacks killed more than 1,100 people in Lebanon, including dozens of women and children, the Lebanese health ministry said without specifying how many of the people killed were Hezbollah members. Hezbollah in recent weeks stopped publishing the number of casualties it suffered.
Nasrallah blocked any effort to elect a person who was not its ally Suleiman Frangieh.
- One candidate is the commander of the Lebanese armed forces Gen. Joseph Aoun, who is supported by the U.S. and France. The Lebanese armed forces will be a key player in any post-war settlement in Lebanon.
- With Nasrallah dead and Hezbollah at its weakest in years, the Biden administration thinks there is now an opportunity to dramatically reduce its influence on the Lebanese political system and elect a new president who is not an ally of the Shia militia, two U.S. officials said.
Catch up quick: The Lebanese political system is built on power sharing between the different religious sects. The post of the president is occupied by a Christian.
https://www.axios.com/2024/10/04/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-new-leader-us