Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Monday met with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, at the Grand Serail. 

Aboul Gheit began by congratulating Lebanon on electing its new president, Joseph Aoun, expressing his satisfaction with this long-awaited step toward restoring Lebanon’s political stability. 

“This election marks an important milestone for Lebanon, opening the door to renewed institutional functionality and effective governance,” Aboul Gheit said, expressing hope that the remaining constitutional processes, including the appointment of a new prime minister, would proceed swiftly, enabling Lebanon to regain its footing amid persistent challenges.

“I am optimistic about Lebanon’s potential for a fresh start, with all pillars of the state aligned to tackle issues that have hindered progress for years. The Arab League remains steadfast in supporting Lebanon’s sovereignty, stability, and economic recovery,” Aboul Gheit added. 

In turn, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported that "a high-level Emirati delegation is currently in Lebanon to make arrangements for the reopening of the UAE embassy in Beirut, following more than three years since its closure."

This comes at a time when several Arab and Gulf diplomats, including Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Foreign Minister of the State of Kuwait Abdullah Al-Yahya, are preparing to visit Lebanon in the coming days to congratulate President Joseph Aoun on his election.

Additionally, President Aoun received an invitation from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to visit the Kingdom.

The Lebanese President confirmed that Saudi Arabia would be his first destination for foreign visits, "in response to the invitation of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and in recognition of the Kingdom's historical role in supporting Lebanon and standing in solidarity with it, reaffirming Lebanon's Arab identity as the cornerstone of its relations with its surroundings."

All these milestones, according to political sources opposed to "Al-Markazia" newspaper indicated—if not definitively confirm—that the era of estrangement with the Arabs and the Gulf has ended, with the election of General Joseph Aoun as President of the Republic.

A "dark" chapter in Lebanon's history has been closed once and for all, to be replaced by a new, promising, and bright one.

Everyone knows, according to the sources, that the Gulf's distancing from Lebanon—its brothers, supporters, and historic backers, the very lifeline it breathes through—after Beirut fell into the hands of the Iranian axis, only exacerbated Lebanon's crises, leading it quickly to a total collapse across all levels: economically, financially, and sovereignly.

However, it appears that this era has come to an end. The Iranians lost Lebanon following the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and the ceasefire agreement, which included the termination of the party’s weapons, and with the election of President Aoun, who was not the preferred candidate of the resistance camp.

The tide turned in the final moments... Now, the fruits of the shift in local and regional balances are showing, with the first manifestation being a strong Gulf return to Beirut.

The sources concluded, "Rejoice!"

This article is an adaptation of an Arabic piece published in Al-Markazia.