Lebanon's parliament will try to elect a president on Thursday, with officials seeing better chances of success in a political landscape shaken by Israel's war with Hezbollah and the toppling of the group's ally Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria.

By decimating Hezbollah, weakening Iran, and indirectly contributing to Bashar Assad’s ouster in Syria, Israel has gifted Lebanon with an opportunity to reclaim its sovereignty. Whether Lebanon can seize this moment will be tested on Thursday when its Parliament convenes for the 13th time in over two years to attempt to elect a new president.

Lebanon's parliament is set to convene Thursday to attempt to elect a head of state for the 13th time during a more than 2-year-long presidential vacuum. This time, analysts said, they might finally succeed.

The Presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian in the country's sectarian power-sharing system and has been vacant since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022.

Lebanese political heavyweights held talks Wednesday a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president, but even with key player Hezbollah weakened by war, there is no guarantee of consensus.

The post, reserved for a Maronite Christian in the country's sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun's term ended in October, 2022. None of the political groups in the 128-seat parliament have enough seats to impose their choice,

Lebanon risks losing vital reconstruction aid if parliament fails to elect a president during its session on Thursday. The high-stakes, long-awaited exercise comes about two weeks before the expiry of a 60-day deadline for Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon and ahead of US president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration,