Former President Michel Aoun breached the noise of the presidential elections and paid a visit to the capital, Damascus, to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom Aoun had not visited during his presidency. Aoun suddenly awakened and decided to go to Syria.

The significance of this visit lies in its timing, as it comes on the eve of the Lebanese presidential elections, especially the session scheduled for June 14 to elect a new president. It also comes after a major dispute between Hezbollah and the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, who broke ties with the party and aligned himself with the opposition, publicly rejecting the idea of nominating the leader of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Frangieh, for the presidency.

Sources within the Shia duo were well aware of this visit, and according to them, they were aware that the Free Patriotic Movement would take some step before the presidential elections. They believed that Bashar al-Assad might favor Hezbollah in the presidential issue. Therefore, Aoun decided to go directly to Damascus to hear what he wanted to hear. However, Assad’s response was contrary to what Aoun and his son-in-law desired.

According to sources cited by “Sawt Beirut International,” Aoun’s visit to Damascus, in terms of its timing, was considered very late. If Aoun considered himself an ally of Syria, why didn’t he stand by Syria throughout the war? Going now to appease Assad and seek his favor for his son-in-law is indeed disgraceful. Syria is well aware of those who stood by its side and those who limited their support to mere rhetoric without any substantial assistance to Syria.
Regarding the details of the visit, sources familiar with the matter, as reported by our website, indicate that Aoun heard from Assad what Bassil had heard before, that the presidential issue is with Hezbollah and has no direct or indirect relation to Syria. Assad specifically told Aoun, “refer to Sayyed Hassan.” As for the disagreements between the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah, which were among the topics discussed between Aoun and Assad, the sources confirm that Assad refused to engage in this discussion, considering it as an internal matter between Lebanese factions that should be resolved by the concerned parties.

The sources assert that Aoun returned disappointed as he did not achieve what he had hoped for from the visit because Hezbollah will maintain its stance regarding the nomination of Suleiman Frangieh. The visit by Aoun, for Syria’s allies in Syria, seemed as if it never happened.