Lebanon's parliament chose the head of the country's armed forces, Joseph Aoun, to be its next president, a post that's been vacant since October 2022.

Lebanon’s parliament is set to convene Thursday to attempt to elect a head of state for the 13th time during a presidential vacuum of over two years

Though Lebanon’s presidency is mostly symbolic, it has a few important powers, like approving prime ministers and cabinets. In a country still haunted by the memory of civil war, symbolism is important too: how the head of state is chosen says much about the balance of power in Lebanon’s factious politics.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday welcomed the "crucial election" by Lebanese lawmakers of army chief Joseph Aoun as president and said he would soon visit the country.Macron spoke with the general hours after Aoun was announced as the leader to end a two-year vacuum in the country's top post.

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

Lebanon's Army chief General Joseph Aoun, attends a news conference to launch a Livelihood Support Program for the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces (ISF) hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the U.