New Army Commander in First Visit to Bkirki

Newly-appointed Army Commander General Joseph Aoun took part in Sunday Mass in Bkirki, four days after the government named him as the new army chief.

Aoun has pledged to boost the military's capabilities and to do everything in his capacity so that the army remains “the certain guarantee for Lebanon's unity, sovereignty, independence and dignity.”

The security appointments that were approved on Wednesday ended a deadlock that twice forced an extension of the term of the army's sitting head.

A ministerial source has said that Aoun's appointment had "the consensus of all the political forces," describing him as "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.