President Aoun Pledges to Pursue a Lebanon Where Citizens Are Free and Equal

The President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, issued the following statement:

On the 48th anniversary of the assassination of former minister Tony Suleiman Frangieh, along with members of his family and companions in Ehden, President General Joseph Aoun said: "Recalling the memory of this painful event obliges us to learn from the lessons of blood what years of peace have not taught us. Genuine national memory does not select its wounds but carries them all to build, upon their pain, a pledge of non-repetition."

This painful anniversary coincides with Lebanon facing a decisive challenge: either its people unite around a sovereign state that monopolizes arms, upholds the law, and protects citizens regardless of their affiliation or status, or it remains captive to the logic of militias and a culture of cancellation.

We are at a moment that cannot tolerate sectarian indulgence or regional strife. National unity today is not a slogan raised on occasions but an existential necessity built on frankness, reinforced by justice, and rooted in fairness for all components of this people without exception.

Today, before the souls of the victims of Ehden and all the martyrs of the civil war from all sects and regions, and the subsequent wars, I renew my pledge to strive for a Lebanon where its citizens live free and equal, united not only by geography but by true citizenship and belonging to a state of law and rights. May God have mercy on the martyrs and assist Lebanon in supporting itself."