Why is Lebanon snubbing the Arab Summit in Baghdad, in a first for Beirut?

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun is skipping the Baghdad Arab Summit for the first time in Beirut's history.

2 min read

14 May, 2025

Last month, in an interview with The New Arab's Arabic language edition, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Aoun said Lebanon was seeking to disarm Hezbollah, not turn it into a Lebanese version of the PMF [Getty]

For the first time in Lebanon's history, President Joseph Aoun will skip an Arab League summit, despite having made Arab reintegration a priority, marking a notable shift in Beirut's diplomatic engagement.

While Lebanon will still be officially represented, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Foreign Minister Joe Raggi attending, President Aoun's absence has raised eyebrows and fuelled speculation.

Some observers believe the snub may be linked to recent backlash in Iraq over Aoun's recent public criticism of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF).

Last month, in an interview with The New Arab's Arabic language edition, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Aoun said Lebanon was seeking to disarm Hezbollah, not turn it into a Lebanese version of the PMF, whose incorporation into the Iraqi military apparatus had made it arguably more powerful than Iraq's army. The remarks sparked anger in Iraq, leading to the summoning of Lebanon's ambassador to Baghdad.

However, Aoun's office insists his absence was due solely to a prior commitment to attend the inauguration Mass of Pope Leon XIV at the Vatican on Sunday.

"The Vatican visit is the only reason," a presidential source told French language daily L'Orient–Le Jour, pushing back against growing speculation online, including unverified reports that Aoun was never invited to the summit.

Diplomatic sources suggest one possible reason for President Aoun's absence was that he had not yet made an official visit to Iraq, which is often seen as a diplomatic step before attending high-level summits there.

While not a strict requirement, Aoun previously skipped such a visit before attending the Arab emergency summit in Cairo this past March, he may now be choosing to follow protocol, L'Orient–Le Jour reported.

Sources familiar with the matter say a visit to Iraq was being planned as a gesture of goodwill and to acknowledge Iraq's continued support for Lebanon, especially its fuel shipments that have helped ease the country's energy crisis.

Before any trip to Baghdad, Aoun is expected to travel to Cairo on Monday for talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

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The Lebanese president is not the only prominent leader missing from the Baghdad summit. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa are also not attending.

Political analyst Assaad Khoury told the French daily that skipping the Baghdad summit on Saturday sends "the wrong message" to Iraq, which was one of the few Arab countries that "stood by Lebanon" during its economic and fuel crisis, as well as during Israel's full-scale war on Lebanon.

The country received thousands of displaced Lebanese and provided fuel shipments that helped keep Lebanon's power grid running during times of severe shortage.