Cabinet meeting at the Baabda Presidential Palace, March 13, 2025. Photo from the X account of the Lebanese Presidency
BEIRUT — The Cabinet on Thursday approved a series of military and security appointments following a compromise reached Monday between President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The government also discussed launching a new reform program with assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Gen. Rodolph Haykal was appointed as the new army commander, while Raed Abdallah, a Sunni backed by Aoun, will replace Imad Osman as head of the Internal Security Forces (ISF). Hassan Choucair was named director general of General Security, and Edgard Lawandos will head State Security.
Generals Haykal and Lawandos announced shortly after their appointments that they would not be receiving congratulations on their new positions “due to the difficult challenges and conditions facing the country.”
The Information Minister added that the Defense Ministry's request to appoint 100 officer cadets had been approved, as had the three-phase recruitment of 4,500 soldiers. These soldiers, who will be recruited throughout 2025, will be deployed in southern Lebanon, as called for by the cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and Israel and U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. This deployment is to take place in parallel with Hezbollah's withdrawal from the region south of the Litani River.
An agreement was reached Monday on the nomination of the new General Security chief, a post traditionally held by a Shiite and in which Berri typically has a say. After lengthy negotiations, the speaker ultimately agreed to appoint Choucair, dropping his initial candidate, Merched Sleiman, whose nomination had faced "reservations" from the president.
The Cabinet convened at 10 a.m. Thursday at the presidential palace in Baabda, with Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in attendance. Aoun and Salam held a separate meeting beforehand to review the latest developments.
The Cabinet will hold an extraordinary session on Monday to examine the mechanism for administrative appointments.
IMF to help Lebanon draft a ‘new plan’
The visit of an IMF delegation, which arrived in Beirut on Monday, was also on the agenda. "During his meeting with the IMF, Nawaf Salam confirmed that Lebanon’s goal is to establish a reform program with the IMF as soon as possible," Morcos said.
Aoun stated that the IMF delegation emphasized the need to appoint a new governor of the central bank. "They also stressed the importance of enacting the banking secrecy law, which still requires some adjustments, as well as the law on banking sector restructuring," the minister added.
An IMF delegation led by Lebanon mission chief Ernesto Ramirez-Rigo met Wednesday with Aoun, Salam, and Berri, in addition to holding several "technical" meetings before and after the main discussions. During his meeting with the president in Baabda, Ramirez-Rigo urged Lebanon to adopt a "unified financial reform plan" to kickstart the country's recovery from its ongoing economic crisis, compounded by the war between Israel and Hezbollah, according to a statement posted on the presidency’s X account. Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s "commitment to implementing reforms."
Since the onset of the economic crisis in late 2019, Lebanon has failed to fulfill its reform commitments — a prerequisite for securing an IMF-backed aid program. However, Aoun and Salam, whose leadership appointments earlier this year revived Lebanon’s stalled institutions after two years of deadlock, have pledged to move the process forward.
The Cabinet also approved a draft law allowing the government to revise certain taxes, fees, and other charges outlined in the 2025 budget, which was enacted by decree last week.
Morcos additionally requested a loan from the state reserves to pay the salaries of employees at Télé Liban, the country’s public television network, through the end of the year.
Concerns over Syria’s west
Aoun also addressed the situation in western Syria, where clashes between fighters loyal to the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad and the new Syrian security forces left hundreds dead between Thursday and Monday, according to the presidency’s X account. He said security agencies, along with the interior and defense ministries, are closely monitoring developments.
Thousands of displaced people have fled Syria for northern Lebanon.
