Lebanon parliament extends Army chief’s job, avoiding vacuum

Lebanese lawmakers on Friday extended the army chief’s mandate, averting a military power vacuum as the country faces spillover of the Israel-Hamas war without a president or a fully functioning government.

Parliament approved delaying the retirement of senior officers at the head of the military and security services for one year, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said.

Army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun was set to retire on January 10, 2024, while the second most senior military position is already vacant.

Lebanon has been without a president for more than a year and its government is operating in a caretaker capacity as political deadlock paralyses decision-making.

No group in parliament holds an outright majority that would allow the election of a new head of state.

Around 80,000 Lebanese serve in the army, which is seen as a key pillar of the country’s stability.

The force is also deployed in the country’s south, which has seen deadly exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.

The Biden administration has continued to exert significant diplomatic efforts to help restore calm along the Lebanese-Israeli border. This continues to be a top agenda item for US officials, as was evident during a call this month between the top US military general and the Lebanese Army commander.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. and Gen. Aoun discussed the importance of the conflict in Gaza not expanding into Lebanon. “Gen. Brown reaffirmed the US Government’s strong support for the Lebanese Armed Forces,” according to a readout of their call.

Lebanon is navigating a devastating economic crisis that has plunged most of the population into poverty, according to the United Nations, and the cash-strapped military struggles to even maintain its own equipment.

The head of one of Lebanon’s top security agencies retired in March without a replacement, while the central bank governor’s mandate expired in July, without a clear successor.