Qaouq: Saudi Campaign Failed as Hizbullah Emerged Stronger after Presidential Vote

Senior Hizbullah official Sheikh Nabil Qaouq announced Sunday that Hizbullah became “politically stronger” after the election of its ally Michel Aoun as president.

“If the objective of the incitement campaign that Saudi Arabia waged against Hizbullah was to weaken it politically, then it has failed, because the party proved that it became politically stronger after the Lebanese presidential elections,” Qaouq, the deputy head of Hizbullah's Executive Council, said.

“If the objective was to deter people from supporting the resistance, it has also failed, because Hizbullah is growing stronger at the popular and political levels, and if the objective was to besiege the resistance and weaken it militarily, the battlefields have proved that their bets have failed, because the resistance has become stronger and more invincible than ever,” Qaouq added.

Aoun was elected Lebanon's 13th president on Monday after around two and a half years of presidential vacuum. Key support from al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri, Hizbullah and the Lebanese Forces contributed to his election.

Analysts have warned that Aoun's election will not be a "magic wand" for Lebanon, which has seen longstanding political divisions exacerbated by the war in neighboring Syria and has struggled to deal with an influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.

In addition to pledges of economic growth and security, Aoun said in his oath of office that Lebanon must work to ensure Syrian refugees "can return quickly" to their country.

Aoun also pledged to endorse an "independent foreign policy" and to protect Lebanon from "the fires burning across the region."