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Lebanon Seeks to Firm Up State Authority by Naming New Army Chief, Top Security Officials

A Lebanese policeman walks in Beirut, Lebanon March 4, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A Lebanese policeman walks in Beirut, Lebanon March 4, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Lebanon Seeks to Firm Up State Authority by Naming New Army Chief, Top Security Officials

A Lebanese policeman walks in Beirut, Lebanon March 4, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A Lebanese policeman walks in Beirut, Lebanon March 4, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanon appointed a new army chief and heads of three security agencies on Thursday as the government seeks to firm up state authority, especially in the country's south, following a devastating war with Israel.

The appointments also come after Lebanese political faction in January overcame a crippling, two-year deadlock, electing a president, Joseph Aoun, a former army chief, and forming a new government under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

A US-brokered ceasefire went into effect in late November, halting nearly 14 months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. The militants began firing rockets into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after a deadly Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon, and the two sides became locked in an escalating conflict that became a full-blown war last September.

In announcing the new appointments, Aoun also said that five Lebanese nationals detained by Israeli troops during the fighting have been released following indirect negotiations.

Morgan Ortagus, deputy special envoy for Middle East in the Trump administration, told Lebanon’s Al Jadeed television on Tuesday that the five were a mix of soldiers and civilians. Ortagus said she was confident Lebanon and Israel would resolve outstanding territorial disputes.

The new appointees include army chief, Gen. Rudolph Haikal; head of State Security agency, Brig. Gen. Edgar Lawandos, and Brig. Gen. Hassan Choucair, who was named head of General Security. Brig. Gen. Raed Abdullah was named head of Internal Security Forces.

Lebanon would also recruit 4,500 soldiers this year to help further increase its military's presence in its southern region.

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Arab World

Indonesia Lays to Rest Peacekeepers Killed in Lebanon

The coffin containing the body of Indonesian soldier Farizal Rhomadhon is carried by soldiers at his home in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, on April 4, 2026, after being killed while serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon. (AFP)
The coffin containing the body of Indonesian soldier Farizal Rhomadhon is carried by soldiers at his home in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, on April 4, 2026, after being killed while serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon. (AFP)
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Indonesia Lays to Rest Peacekeepers Killed in Lebanon

The coffin containing the body of Indonesian soldier Farizal Rhomadhon is carried by soldiers at his home in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, on April 4, 2026, after being killed while serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon. (AFP)
The coffin containing the body of Indonesian soldier Farizal Rhomadhon is carried by soldiers at his home in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, on April 4, 2026, after being killed while serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon. (AFP)

Three Indonesian peacekeepers killed in two separate explosions in southern Lebanon last week were laid to rest in their hometowns on Sunday.

Peacekeeper Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, died when a projectile exploded on March 29 in southern Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war.

Two other blue helmets, Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, 33, and Muhammad Nur Ichwan, 26, died a day later when an explosion struck a logistics convoy of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), also in southern Lebanon.

The deadly incidents sparked calls from Indonesian authorities for an investigation and security guarantees for peacekeeping forces.

The soldiers were buried on Sunday in coffins draped in the Indonesian flag during military funerals with gun salutes.

Weeping family members scattered flower petals on their graves.

Zulmi was buried in a military cemetery in his hometown in Bandung, West Java, while Ichwan and Farizal were laid to rest in their respective hometowns in Central Java and Yogyakarta.

"I'm letting him go proudly. I accept it sincerely, even though it is not what I had hoped as a parent," Zulmi's father Iskandarudin told reporters after the funeral.

"I am certain that he's waiting for me in heaven."

Agus Subiyanto, the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, told reporters that every fallen soldier will receive compensation in recognition of their service.

"We have prepared all the rights and entitlements that must be given to the fallen soldiers. Among these is compensation from the United Nations," Agus said after attending Zulmi's funeral.

The bodies of the three peacekeepers arrived in Jakarta on Saturday, received with honors in a ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto.

Prabowo said on Instagram that Indonesians "strongly condemn every heinous act that undermines peace and causes the deaths of our nation's soldiers".

Less than a week after the explosions that killed the three peacekeepers, another blast took place at a UN facility near Adeisseh on Friday, injuring three more Indonesian blue helmets.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry called the attacks "unacceptable" and urged the UN Security Council "to immediately convene a meeting of troop-contributing countries to UNIFIL to conduct a review and take measures to enhance the protection of personnel serving with UNIFIL".

Foreign Minister Sugiono, who like many Indonesians only has one name, told reporters on Saturday that Indonesia wanted a thorough UN investigation, and demanded better security guarantees for peacekeeping soldiers.

Arab World

Israel Says Will Strike Lebanon-Syria Border Crossing

Vehicles are seen at Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon November 1, 2018. (Reuters)
Vehicles are seen at Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon November 1, 2018. (Reuters)
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Israel Says Will Strike Lebanon-Syria Border Crossing

Vehicles are seen at Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon November 1, 2018. (Reuters)
Vehicles are seen at Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon November 1, 2018. (Reuters)

The Israeli military said on Saturday it would strike an area near the main crossing between Syria and Lebanon, urging residents to evacuate immediately as it continued its attacks across Lebanon.

Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south since March 2, when Hezbollah entered the war in the Middle East on the side of its backer Iran.

"Due to Hezbollah's use of the Masnaa crossing for military purposes and smuggling of combat equipment, the (Israeli army) intends to carry out strikes on the crossing in the near future," said the military's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, urging people to leave the area.

A Lebanese security source at the Masnaa border crossing told AFP they were "currently evacuating the crossing following the Israeli threat".

In Syria, the General Authority for Borders and Customs public relations director, Mazen Aloush, said the crossing, known as Jdeidet Yabous on the Syrian side, was "exclusively for civilian use and is not used for any military purposes".

Aloush added that "in light of the circulating warnings and out of concern for the safety of travelers, traffic through the crossing will be temporarily suspended until any potential risks subside".

An AFP journalist on the Syrian side of the crossing said early Sunday it was empty, with only a few guards remaining.

Masnaa is the main crossing between Lebanon and Syria, making it a vital trade route for both countries and a key land gateway for Lebanon to the rest of the region.

Israel struck the crossing in October 2024, during its previous war with Hezbollah.

The crossing remained closed until Lebanese and Syrian authorities began repair works after a ceasefire the following month.

Arab World

French Boats Set Sail to Join Gaza Aid Flotilla

Activists gather in l'Estaque, part of Marseille's harbor, southern France, on April 4, 2026, during a rally in support of a flotilla carrying activists from “Thousand Madleens to Gaza” movement as they prepare to set sail. (AFP)
Activists gather in l'Estaque, part of Marseille's harbor, southern France, on April 4, 2026, during a rally in support of a flotilla carrying activists from “Thousand Madleens to Gaza” movement as they prepare to set sail. (AFP)
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French Boats Set Sail to Join Gaza Aid Flotilla

Activists gather in l'Estaque, part of Marseille's harbor, southern France, on April 4, 2026, during a rally in support of a flotilla carrying activists from “Thousand Madleens to Gaza” movement as they prepare to set sail. (AFP)
Activists gather in l'Estaque, part of Marseille's harbor, southern France, on April 4, 2026, during a rally in support of a flotilla carrying activists from “Thousand Madleens to Gaza” movement as they prepare to set sail. (AFP)

Some 20 French boats set sail from Marseille on Saturday to join up with an international flotilla making a renewed effort to break an Israeli blockade and deliver aid to Gaza, AFP reporters saw.

"Gaza, Marseille is with you" shouted around a thousand people who had come to the docks to support the initiative.

The ships, mostly sailboats, set off to a round of applause and songs shortly after 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) to join the "Global Sumud Flotilla", named after a Gazan fisherman.

The international flotilla of some 100 boats, mostly setting sail from Barcelona on April 12, will head towards Gaza around April 20, according to the organizers. A week-long stopover is planned in southern Italy for "non-violence training."

"The goal is to give Palestine more visibility. We're not talking about it much right now, because of the international context," said Manon, a crew member who declined to give her full name.

In late 2025, an initial flotilla of about 50 boats, composed of political figures and activists such as Sweden's Greta Thunberg, was boarded by the Israeli navy -- illegally according to the organizers and Amnesty International.

The crew members were arrested and expelled by Israel.

The Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Israel and the Palestinian movement accuse each other of violating a ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025, after two years of war.