The Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Joseph Aoun (left), received by the Mufti of the Republic, Abdellatif Deriane, on Monday July 10, 2023 at Dar el-Fatwa. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Grand Mufti of the Republic Abdel-Latif Derian on Monday called for the protection of the Lebanese Army and security services by filling vacant positions in the army and law enforcement agencies.
His call came after a meeting with Lebanese Army Commander-in-Chief Joseph Aoun.
Three posts remain vacant on the Military Council and General Aoun is due to retire in January. With no successor in sight, there are rising fears of a vacancy at the head of the military.
Derian called on political leaders to "protect the military and security institutions in Lebanon by filling the vacant positions," according to the state-run National News Agency.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati refuses to make any such appointments, for the time being, to avoid a political confrontation with the Christian parties, in particular the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). The FPM has been stifling government meetings since the start of the presidential vacancy on Oct. 31, 2022, when former president Michel Aoun's term in office expired.
Some Christian parties accuse Mikati of assuming presidential prerogatives. In Lebanon, the head of state is traditionally a Maronite Christian.
On Monday, Derian also received Director General of the Internal Security Forces (FSI) Imad Osmane, with whom he reviewed the work of the security forces.