News brief

U.S.-backed general becomes president of Lebanon. Lebanon’s parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state Jan. 9, revealing shifts in the power balance in Lebanon and the wider Middle East. The general, who has support from the United States, fills a two-year presidential vacancy after Israel defeated the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in last year’s war, and Syrian rebels toppled Hezbollah’s ally Bashar al-Assad in December. Mr. Aoun promised to rebuild parts of Lebanon destroyed by Israel and also to prevent Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which was mired in deep economic and political crises even before the latest conflict.

‘We are looking for a good future’: Lebanese life amid the rubble

In Lebanon, Hezbollah pays high political cost for its war with Israel