The cabinet convened in a regular meeting on Wednesday at the Presidential Palace and approved a list of security, military and judicial appointments, including the appointment of General Joseph Aoun as army commander.
President Michel Aoun chaired the meeting in the presence of PM Saad Hariri and the ministers.
The cabinet made a list of appointments the most important of which were: General Joseph Aoun as Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces replacing Gen. Jean Qahwaji, Maj. Gen. Imad Othman as Commander of the Internal Security Forces, General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim kept his post as a civilian director of the agency despite reaching the military age of retirement, Brig. Gen. Tony Saliba as Director General of the State Security agency and Samir Sanan as his Deputy.
Another list of appointments included Asaad al-Tfaili as chairman of the Supreme Council of Customs, Director General of Customs Badri Daher, Head of the Central Inspection Panel George Attieh, and Secretary General of the Higher Council for Defense Saadallah al-Hamad.
The appointments ended a deadlock that twice forced an extension of the term of the army commander.
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.”
Joseph Aoun is not related to President Michel Aoun, himself a former army chief, although the two served together in the military.
Lebanon’s already fractious political scene has faced tensions linked to the war in neighboring 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.
Under the deal, rival Saad Hariri was named prime minister and he formed a cabinet in December.
Lebanon is due to hold parliamentary elections in May 2017, the first legislative vote in eight years, after the body twice extended its own mandate.
The cabinet also approved Wednesday a special draft law on tax provisions relating to petroleum activities.
Ahead of the session Aoun and Hariri held a closed door meeting and discussed the latest developments in the country.
Before he joined the meeting, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said: “An agreement was reached on tax provisions related to petroleum. It will be approved today.”
State Minister for Parliament Affairs Ali Qanso said: “There will be no surprises at the level of appointments today because there is a consensus on the matter.”
