Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's Cabinet has named a new army commander, ending a two-year impasse over the appointment of the country's top security and military posts.
The government named Brig. Gen. Joseph Aoun to the post on Wednesday.
Aoun is replacing Gen. Jean Kahwaji, who has held the top military post since 2008, and whose term was twice extended after political forces failed to agree on security and military portfolios.
Aoun led an army unit which served along the border with Israel and is now stationed in the volatile town of Arsal, bordering Syria.
Violence from Syria's civil war has frequently spilled over the border, inflaming Lebanon's own political divisions.
For two years, Lebanon was without a president until political groups agreed last October to name President Michel Aoun, ending the deadlock.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
