What fate awaits Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun as another Beirut void looms?

BEIRUT — In the latest leadership crisis to hit Lebanon, the country's political class is divided over the fate of Gen. Joseph Aoun, retiring commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and the legalities of appointing his successor.

Aoun has led the nation's military since 2017, when President Michel Aoun (no relation) appointed him to the position, but the possibility now exists that the top commander might retire in January without a successor: Lebanon lacks a head of state, but the constitution dictates that the president of the republic appoint the head of the military.

The presidential palace in Baabda has been vacant since Michel Aoun completed his six-year term, in October 2022. These days, Lebanon's leaders, such as they are, improvise ways to circumvent the authority of the constitution because no individual has the support of enough members of parliament to be elected president.

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri has called on lawmakers to convene before Dec. 15 to vote on whether to extend Gen. Aoun’s mandate by a year. The uncertainty surrounding Aoun’s position comes amid heightened security tensions, with Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia waging their own mini-war in southern Lebanon in conjunction with the Israel-Hamas war that erupted on Oct. 7 and now engulfs Gaza. The cross-border shelling in the south has made the area extremely dangerous for residents there and puts the entire country’s security at risk.