President marking Francophonie Day: "Being Francophone Is a Commitment to Reason, Beauty, and Human Rights"
NNA - On the occasion of International Francophonie Day, President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, on Thursday emphasized that being Francophone is not merely about language but about embracing a profound intellectual and cultural tradition.
"To be Francophone is to stand with reason against madness, like Descartes, with aesthetics against ugliness, like Paul Valéry, and with the citizen against the ruler, as enshrined in the first declaration of human rights," Aoun stated.
The President underscored that Lebanon's Francophonie is not an affiliation with another country but a commitment to a system of values and thought—a true epistemic identity. He highlighted the influence of figures such as Jean Bodin, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire in shaping the principles of sovereignty, law, and freedom that resonate deeply with Lebanon's historical and intellectual heritage.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LBCI
15 hours ago
- LBCI
Israel directly warns Lebanese president as tensions soar after Beirut strikes
Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi Israel has escalated its threats against Lebanon following airstrikes that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs, with Security Minister Israel Katz issuing a direct warning to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, vowing continued attacks and accusing the Lebanese Army of conducting "coordinated displays." Katz reiterated longstanding Israeli claims that Hezbollah is boosting its military capabilities with the Lebanese state's approval, specifically alleging that drone production is underway in residential areas, posing a threat to northern Israeli communities. Israeli security officials and military analysts defended the strikes on Beirut's suburbs, describing them as a "necessary step." The attack has sharpened the divide in Israel over the legitimacy and strategic wisdom of expanding military operations into the Lebanese capital and other regions. The airstrikes followed Israeli military assessments suggesting Hezbollah is preparing for an escalation, with expectations that Lebanon might retaliate. In response, Israel deployed additional air defense systems in the north and announced that its armed forces are fully prepared for a range of scenarios, including extensive defensive measures. Amid growing security concerns, some Israeli officials have expressed skepticism toward the intelligence behind the latest attacks. Doubts over whether Hezbollah is indeed rebuilding its arsenal have led to calls for Israel to submit its intelligence reports to international monitors tasked with overseeing the ceasefire agreement between the two sides. Using Lebanon's alleged failure to uphold the ceasefire agreement as justification, the Israeli military is reportedly considering intensifying its deployment along the northern border, expanding surveillance and reconnaissance operations, and threatening further strikes for every intelligence report suggesting Lebanese violations.
Ya Libnan
a day ago
- Ya Libnan
Israel strikes Beirut suburbs, says it is targeting Hezbollah's underground drone factories
Israeli air strikes in the southern Beirut suburbs rocked the Lebanese capital on Thursday night in an attack Israel claimed targeted Hezbollah drone factories. However, Lebanon and the UN describe the strikes as a violation of the November 27 ceasefire agreement. Beirut- A series of Israeli air strikes hit Beirut 's southern suburbs on Thursday night, after the military said it would target underground Hezbollah drone factories. Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the Lebanese capital, shortly after huge numbers of people had fled the area, clogging the roads with traffic. Lebanese news agency ANI said it counted nearly a dozen strikes, including two which were 'very violent'. AFP journalists in the city heard at least two strong detonations. 'The IDF (military) is currently striking terror targets of the Hezbollah aerial unit,' the Israeli military said in a statement on Telegram. Less than two hours earlier, its Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee had warned on social media that residents of the suburbs were 'located near facilities belonging to the terrorist organisation Hezbollah' and should evacuate immediately. In a separate statement, the military had said it would 'soon carry out a strike on underground UAV (drone) production infrastructure sites that were deliberately established in the heart of (the) civilian population' in Beirut. The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon wrote on X that the strikes 'generated renewed panic and fear', and called for a 'halt to any actions that could further undermine the cessation of hostilities'. 'Established mechanisms and diplomatic instruments are at the disposal of all sides to address disputes or threats, and to prevent unnecessary and dangerous escalation,' it added. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun in a statement voiced 'firm condemnation of the Israeli aggression' and 'flagrant violation' of a November 27 ceasefire 'on the eve of a sacred religious festival', the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. He said the strikes were 'irrefutable proof of the aggressor's refusal … of a just peace in our region'. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also issued a statement condemning the strikes as a 'flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty' and of a 2006 UN resolution. Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah engaged in more than a year of hostilities that began with the outbreak of the Gaza war and culminated in an intense Israeli bombing campaign and ground incursion into southern Lebanon. The November ceasefire sought to end the fighting – which left Hezbollah severely weakened – but Israel has continued to regularly carry out strikes in Lebanon's south. Strikes targeting Beirut's southern suburbs, considered a Hezbollah stronghold, have been rare, however. 'Following Hezbollah's extensive use of UAVs as a central component of its terrorist attacks on the state of Israel, the terrorist organisation is operating to increase production of UAVs for the next war,' the military statement said, calling the activities 'a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon'. Under the truce, Hezbollah fighters were to withdraw north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometres (nearly 19 miles) from the border, and dismantle their military posts to the south. Israel was to pull all its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in five positions it deems 'strategic' along the frontier. The Lebanese army has been deploying in the south and removing Hezbollah infrastructure there, with prime minister Salam saying Thursday that it had dismantled 'more than 500 military positions and arms depots' in the area. ( FRANCE 24 with AFP )
LBCI
a day ago
- LBCI
Berri backs President Aoun's stance, says Israeli aggression targets all Lebanon
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri affirmed that his position is fully aligned with that of President Joseph Aoun regarding national sovereignty and in condemnation of the Israeli attacks on Beirut and Ain Qana. Berri stressed that the assaults are not aimed at a specific sect or region but at all of Lebanon and its people—Christians and Muslims alike—as well as the broader Arab and Muslim communities, especially as they prepare to celebrate Eid al-Adha.
