Lebanon Appoints New Army Chief Ending Deadlock

BEIRUT, March 8, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 08th Mar, 2017 ) : Lebanon's cabinet Wednesday appointed a new army chief, General Joseph Aoun, ending a deadlock that twice forced an extension of the term of the military's sitting head.

The appointment of the successor to General Jean Kahwaji is the first by Lebanon's cabinet since it was formed after President Michel Aoun's election in October. A ministerial source told AFP the appointment had "the consensus of all the political forces", adding the new chief was "well-known and removed from any political conflicts".

Michel Aoun, himself a former chief of Lebanon's army, is not related to Lebanon's president, although the two served together in the military. Lebanon's already fractious political scene has faced tensions linked to the war in neighbouring Syria since March 2011.

A political stalemate left the country without a president for over two years until Michel Aoun was elected under a compromise deal in October 2016.