The Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (Arabic: قائد الجيش اللبناني, romanized: qāʔid al-jayš al-lubnāniyy) is responsible for the operational command of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). According to the Constitution, the President of Lebanon is the commander-in-chief. The commander always holds the General rank. The commander must always be a Maronite Christian according to the National Pact.
| Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| قائد الجيش اللبناني | |
Emblem of the Lebanese Armed Forces | |
Flag of the Lebanese Armed Forces | |
Incumbent since 13 March 2025Rodolphe Haykal | |
| Ministry of Defense | |
| Reports to | Minister of Defense |
| Seat | Yarze |
| Appointer | President of Lebanon |
| Formation | 1 August 1945 |
| First holder | Fouad Chehab |
Appointment
The Army Commander is appointed by general grade officers who have not yet been placed in the reserve with a decree issued from the cabinet based on the proposal of the Minister of National Defense.
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Commander of the Lebanese Forces include:
- Organizing and managing units and bureaus and specifying their mission
- Performing operations of employment and on the alert operations when they are decided
- Implementing preparedness and mobilization operations when announced.
- Determining the need of the Army and maintaining the state of equipment and supplies upon their delivery from the General Administration
- Commanding military operations
List of officeholders
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | Major General Fouad Chehab (1902–1973) | 1 August 1945 | 22 September 1958 | 13 years, 52 days | ||
| 2 | Major General Toufic Salem (1904–1978) | 9 October 1958 | 31 January 1959 | 114 days | ||
| 3 | Major General Adel Shehab (1903–1980) | 1 February 1959 | 30 June 1965 | 6 years, 149 days | ||
| 4 | General Emile Boustany (1909–2002) | 1 July 1965 | 6 January 1970 | 4 years, 189 days | ||
| 5 | General Jean Njeim (1915–1971) | 7 January 1970 | 24 July 1971 | 1 year, 198 days | ||
| 6 | General Iskandar Ghanem (1911–2005) | 25 July 1971 | 9 September 1975 | 4 years, 46 days | ||
| 7 | General Hanna Saïd (1923–1998) | 10 September 1975 | 27 March 1977 | 1 year, 198 days | ||
| 8 | General Victor Khoury (1929–2017) | 28 March 1977 | 7 December 1982 | 5 years, 254 days | ||
| 9 | General Ibrahim Tannous (1929–2012) | 8 December 1982 | 22 June 1984 | 1 year, 197 days | ||
| 10 | General Michel Aoun (born 1933) | 23 June 1984 | 27 November 1989 | 5 years, 157 days | ||
| 11 | General Émile Lahoud (born 1936) | 28 November 1989 | 23 November 1998 | 8 years, 360 days | ||
| 12 | General Michel Suleiman (born 1948) | 21 December 1998 | 30 August 2008 | 9 years, 253 days | ||
| 13 | General Jean Kahwaji (born 1953) | 30 August 2008 | 8 March 2017 | 8 years, 190 days | ||
| 14 | General Joseph Aoun (born 1964) | 8 March 2017 | 9 January 2025 | 7 years, 307 days | ||
| – | Major General Hassan Audi (born 1968) Acting | 9 January 2025 | 13 March 2025 | 63 days | ||
| 15 | General Rodolphe Haykal (born 1969) | 13 March 2025 | Incumbent | 323 days | ||
Timeline
See also
- Lebanese Armed Forces
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