According to a report from the Qatar News Agency (QNA), Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held a meeting on August 21 with a high-ranking Lebanese official identified as President General Joseph Aoun. The report stated that the two discussed bilateral relations and strategies for cooperation between Rome and Beirut. However, this claim contains a significant factual inaccuracy regarding the current political structure of Lebanon.
Lebanon has been without a president since the end of Michel Aoun's term in October 2022, as the country’s parliament has struggled to reach a consensus on a successor. Furthermore, General Joseph Aoun is the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, not the President of the Republic. While high-level diplomatic exchanges between Italy and Lebanon are common given Italy's participation in the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, the identification of the visitor as the Lebanese President is incorrect.
No official statements from the Italian government or independent international news wires have confirmed a meeting between Prime Minister Meloni and a Lebanese head of state on this date. The discrepancy raises questions regarding the accuracy of the original report's characterization of the diplomatic engagement.
The report identifies the visitor as 'Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun', but the President of Lebanon is currently a vacant position, and Joseph Aoun is the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, not the President. Furthermore, there is no record of a Lebanese head of state meeting with Prime Minister Meloni on this date, suggesting a significant factual error in the source's identification of the official.
No corroborating trusted sources found.
Original report: QNA