Beirut: President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, on Tuesday affirmed that 'terrorism is the deliberate, unjustified, and unlawful use of physical or psychological violence against innocent civilians, not as an end, but as a means to intimidate and subdue others to extract illegitimate demands.' Speaking at the Regional Conference on International Judicial Cooperation in Combating Terrorism, he stressed that eradicating terrorism requires confronting not only the perpetrators but also the ideology that recruits them.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, Aoun emphasized that 'the real battle lies in extinguishing the thought that deceives minds into believing that atrocity is virtue,' urging intellectual, religious, and community leaders to actively isolate extremists and counter radical narratives. The President highlighted Lebanon's selection as the host for the conference, noting that the country has successfully fought terrorism on military, security, and intellectual fronts, prevailing each time.
He further stated that Lebanon continues to be a land of 'tolerance, dialogue, diversity, and freedom,' where extremism cannot thrive. President Aoun concluded by stressing the importance of institutionalized Arab and international cooperation to address emerging forms of terrorism, such as cyber and biological threats. He called for stronger mechanisms for information exchange, mutual legal assistance, extradition, and enforcement of judicial rulings, asserting that 'terrorism has become global, and so must our fight against it.'