Army Commander Aoun delivers presidential-style speech amid political turmoil

In terms of timing, the Army Commander sent his political messages in all directions on the same day that Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced the nomination of Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh for the presidency. This raises the question: could General Aoun not have said what he said on Monday at any other time?

In terms of style, the Army Commander spoke with great confidence, as if he wanted to address the international community by stating that the military institution will remain the only cohesive institution despite all the collapse happening in Lebanon.

As for the content, it can be said that this is the first time that the Army Commander has responded, without mentioning names, to all his critics in politics, led by the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil.

Al-Akhbar newspaper, which is close to the Hezbollah-Amal duo and which opened fire on the Army Commander on February 20, titling its article "The Commander Sells Weapons," added that candidate Joseph Aoun turned the army into a non-governmental organization funded by foreign entities, sold weapons for free, and made contracts that circumvented the laws. 

General Aoun indirectly responded to these allegations by stating that he would be ready to violate the laws to protect the institution.

The Army Commander threw his political grenades in all directions, internally and externally. Has he opened his own presidential battle?