Lebanon’s president spurs controversy by saying he doesn’t want Iraqi-style militias

Jerusalem Post - 17/04
Aoun’s comments “caused discomfort among Iraqis, particularly since Iraq has consistently stood by Lebanon during times of hardship."

Lebanon’s president is apparently in hot water in Iraq after he said he didn’t want Lebanon to have an Iraqi model for integrating Iranian-backed militias into the state. Baghdad summoned Lebanon’s ambassador on April 16 after reading comments that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun made to the New Arab publication.

The complaint in Baghdad is a bit complicated, so it’s worth trying to understand what Aoun said that so angered the Iraqis.

On April 15, the New Arab ran an interview with Aoun. In the interview, he had said he didn’t see Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces as a m...
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