Lebanon seeks to firm up state authority by naming new army chief, top security officials
World
Lebanon seeks to firm up state authority by naming new army chief, top security officials
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon appointed a new army chief and heads of three security agencies on Thursday as the government seeks to firm up state authority, especially in the country’s south, following the militant Hezbollah group’s devastating war with Israel.
The appointments also come after Lebanese political faction in January overcame a crippling, two-year deadlock, electing a president, Joseph Aoun, a former army chief, and forming a new government under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into effect in late November, halting nearly 14 months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. The militants began firing rockets into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after a deadly Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon, and the two sides became locked in an escalating conflict that became a full-blown war last September.
In announcing the new appointments, Aoun also said that five Lebanese nationals detained by Israeli troops during the fighting have been released following indirect negotiations.
The new appointees include army chief, Gen. Rudolph Haikal; head of State Security agency, Brig. Gen. Edgar Lawandos, and Brig. Gen. Hassan Choucair, who was named head of General Security. Brig. Gen. Raed Abdullah was named head of Internal Security Forces.
Lebanon would also recruit 4,500 soldiers this year to help further increase its military’s presence in its southern region.
Also Thursday, a delegation from the International Monetary Fund wrapped up a four-day visit to Lebanon. Lebanon reached a tentative deal with the IMF in April 2022 for a $3 billion rescue package after the country slid into a debilitating financial crisis in 2019.
But finalizing the deal is contingent on major financial restructuring and reforms to combat corruption and waste, most of which never took place.
Ernesto Ramirez Rigo, the IMF official heading the delegation, said in a statement that the team had “productive discussions” with the country’s new leaders and “welcomed the authorities’ request for a new IMF-supported program to bolster their efforts in addressing Lebanon’s significant economic challenges.”
The statement said that Lebanon’s leaders have managed to take some measures to stabilize the economy, including by eliminating the fiscal deficit and ending subsidies, allowing the currency to stabilize after a period of skyrocketing inflation. But it said those steps are ” insufficient to address the ongoing economic, financial, and social challenges,” including reconstruction needs after the Israel-Hezbollah war.
