The Lebanese government appoints an army commander and leaders of the security services

The Lebanese government announced today (Thursday), the appointment of Rudolf Heikal as commander of the army to succeed President Joseph Aoun, following the talks that lasted for about two months.

The government appointed Brigadier Hassan Shuqair as General Manager of Public Security, and Brigadier Edgar Londs as Director General of the State Security Agency, and Brigadier Raed Abdullah was appointed Director General of the Internal Security Forces.

The Lebanese Minister of Information confirmed that the appointment of the commander of the army and leaders of the security services came based on the criteria of competence, to ensure the stability of the military and security establishment in the country.

According to Al -A’raf, the position of the army commander must be occupied by a military commander belonging to the Maronite community, and therefore the leader Rodolph Haykal, who is from the village of Aqtna, was appointed in the Sidon district in the south of the country.

Heikal was the director of operations in the Lebanese army, after he was transferred in several positions within the military establishment, and assumed various responsibilities, which earned him wide experience in military and security affairs

The name of Heikal has emerged since the year 2023, when he visited the UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon, but by assuming the position of commander of the army, he had many challenges, in light of the political, security and living conditions in Lebanon.

The army commander is assigned the responsibility of implementing the provisions of the ceasefire agreement, which was concluded between the Lebanese side and the Israeli occupation, stipulating the withdrawal of all weapons from the south, dismantling any sites and centers for Hezbollah, and withdrawing weapons from any other faction.

The army undertakes its control of the southern regions, maintaining the stability of the military establishment in light of the difficult economic conditions, and achieving the country’s internal security.