Aoun says south won't remain a 'forgotten region' or 'bargaining chip'
President Joseph Aoun on Sunday marked the 48th anniversary of the disappearance of revered Shiite cleric Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his companions by saying that he refuses to allow the South to remain a "forgotten region" or a bargaining chip.
The president added that the only legitimate weapons protecting the land should be those of the state.
"We are working to achieve what the disappeared imam wanted: a strong and just state and a South protected by its army, its security forces, and the resilience of its people and the state combined," Aoun went on to say.
He added: "The case of Imam al-Sadr’s disappearance remains an open national and humanitarian issue, and we will continue to demand the full truth about his fate and the fate of his companions."
30 August 2026, 20:27
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Certain hardline factions close to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini viewed al-Sadr as a highly dangerous potential rival for the leadership of the global Shia movement. Some historical accounts suggest that prominent Iranian revolutionaries colluded with Gaddafi, convincing the Libyan leader that al-Sadr was a threat to Khomeini's vision or even a Western agent, and requested his elimination. 4. Direct Collusion with Yasser Arafat Multiple regional sources and intelligence files suggest that Yasser Arafat himself may have explicitly asked Gaddafi to remove al-Sadr. Because the Imam's Amal Movement was actively clashing with Palestinian factions in southern Lebanon to protect local villages, removing the charismatic leader effectively decapitated the resistance to the PLO's operations in the region.
