Qatar is likely to restart its involvement in facilitating discussions regarding the presidential situation

Officials from Qatar are expected to visit Lebanon soon to continue discussions on both the presidential and army chief matters, according to well-informed sources.

The discussions continued quietly even during the height of conflict and escalation in the southern region. There was a consensus among some parties about the urgency of finding a solution in light of the extraordinary situation and the potential escalation of the conflict, as reported by the al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday.

The newspaper cited high-level sources revealing that during a visit to Doha about a month earlier, Lebanon’s acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati appealed to Qatar’s leader, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, to reinitiate Qatari mediation efforts. He suggested sending a representative from Doha to Beirut, with indications that this request was made in coordination with Speaker Nabih Berri.

Al-Akhbar also reported that Qatar reached out to Hezbollah leaders to gauge their reaction to the proposed visit of a Qatari delegation and the resumption of talks regarding the presidency. The response from Hezbollah was reportedly not positive.

Despite this initial setback, there are recent reports suggesting that a Qatari envoy has already arrived in Lebanon, according to the newspaper.

Qatar’s strategy focuses on moving away from previous presidential options and considering universally acceptable candidates, such as the interim head of General Security, Major General Elias Bayssari.

In addition, Qatar is working to address the issue of the army commander by persuading political parties to extend the tenure of General Joseph Aoun, the current army commander and one of the presidential hopefuls backed by Qatar, the sources mentioned.