Lebanon's Aoun taps ICJ chief justice as prime minister, in blow to Hezbollah
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun summoned Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice, to designate him prime minister after most lawmakers nominated him on Monday, delivering a blow to Hezbollah, which accused opponents of seeking to exclude it.
The choice of Salam underlined the major shift in the power balance among Lebanon’s sectarian factions since the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah was pummelled in its military conflict with Israel last year, and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad was toppled.
The presidency said Salam, currently outside the country and due to return on Tuesday, had secured the backing of 84 out of parliament’s 128 lawmakers, and Aoun had summoned him to assign him to form the government.
Salam won backing from Christian and Druze factions, and prominent Sunni Muslim MPs, including Hezbollah allies.
But lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shi’ite ally the Amal Movement, which hold all the seats reserved for Shi’ites in parliament, did not name anybody, indicating they currently do not intend to participate in Salam’s government.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/lebanons-aoun-taps-icj-chief-justice-as-prime-minister-in-blow-to-hezbollah/