In 2015,Aoun was appointed commander of the 9th Brigade deployed on the border with Israel. Two years later in March 2017,he was officially appointed commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces,replacing Jean Kahwaji. During this time,Aoun gained national popularity due to his leadership style and his role in fighting terrorists groups like Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front. Since 2022,Aoun has been reported as one of the possible presidential candidates to succed President Michel Aoun in the presidential election. In January 2025,Aoun was elected president,thus ending the two year political crisis.
Aoun joined the Lebanese army in 1983 and enrolled in the military academy during the Lebanese civil war.[5] He trained abroad,especially in the United States and Syria. He also underwent counter-terrorism training in the United States in 2008 and Lebanon in 2013. He became head of the army's 9th Infantry Brigade in 2015.
In 2015,Aoun was appointed commander of the 9th Brigade deployed on the border with Israel. On 8 March 2017,the Lebanese government appointed him commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF),replacing Jean Kahwaji.[9]
Aoun led battles against the Islamic State campaign in eastern Lebanon,where hundreds of Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front militants were entrenched on the border with Syria.[3] On 19 August 2017,he commanded the Jroud Dawn Operation,a successful offensive to expel the militants from their strongholds.[10]
Following protests in Lebanon and the political deadlock,General Aoun spoke out on 8 March 2021 criticising the Lebanese liquidity crisis and its impact on the military. His speech went viral on social media.[11]
Aoun meeting with Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Schallenberg in February 2024
Aoun's possible presidential candidacy was first raised by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in July 2022 who suggested that he would make a good successor to Michel Aoun.[14] Qatar declared support for his candidacy during a visit by officials as they vowed to support the army with financial and military aid;the United States followed with support.[15]
In December 2022,a five-nation group was formed by the Doha envoy which involved the United States,France,Saudi Arabia,and Egypt to hold talks and resolve the presidential vacancy in Lebanon in which most countries affirmed their support for Aoun's election.[16]
On 9 January 2025,Aoun was elected president in the second round of the electoral session.[19] In his inaugural address,he vowed to fight the mafias,drug trafficking,interference in the justice system,corruption,poverty,and sectarianism. He also stated that he would promote economic,political,and judicial reform.[20][21] He also said:"The Lebanese state –I repeat the Lebanese state –will get rid of the Israeli occupation",[22] while also vowing that he would work "to affirm the state's right to a monopoly on the carrying of arms".[23]
His election was criticized by some opposition members as unconstitutional who argued that the Lebanese constitution bars a sitting army commander from being elected president as stated in article 49 of the constitution,a ban that has been waived multiple times,which prompted some MPs to place a protest vote.[24] However,a precedent was set in the election of Michel Suleiman in 2008 when a sitting army chief was elected president with a two thirds majority in Parliament,the number required to amend the constitution,despite no actual amendment of the constitution by Parliament similar to what happened with the 1998 election of Emile Lahoud.[25]
After Joseph Aoun was elected President of Lebanon,he delivered a speech before the Lebanese Parliament,expressing his positions on several key issues for the country and outlining commitments for the future,including:
Judicial independence,improving the work of public prosecutions,conducting judicial appointments based on integrity and competence,and strengthening the Judicial Inspection Authority.
Separation of powers and oversight,rejecting laws and decrees that do not serve the public interest.
Appointing a prime minister to ensure the continuity of public services,prioritizing national unity over sectarianism,and embracing global progress rather than being trapped in past conflicts.
Restructuring public administration,rotating senior public positions,and appointing regulatory bodies to restore the state's authority and uphold the dignity of civil servants.[26]
Aoun also addressed controversial issues among the Lebanese people,such as:
Affirming the state's exclusive right to bear arms,emphasizing that military power should remain in the hands of the Lebanese Army.
Establishing strong relations with Arab nations and forming strategic partnerships with the Levant,the Persian Gulf,and North Africa. He also called for serious dialogue with Syria to address unresolved matters,particularly border control in both directions and non-interference in each country's internal affairs,as well as resolving the Syrian refugee crisis.
Maintaining openness to both East and West,forming alliances,and strengthening Lebanon's foreign relations with friendly nations and the international community.[26]
Cabinet of Nawaf Salam
In one of his first acts as president,Aoun nominated Nawaf Salam,the head of the International Court of Justice,as Prime Minister of Lebanon after winning the majority of votes by the members of parliament.[27] Hezbollah's parliamentary leader Mohammad Raad stated that Hezbollah "extended its hand" by helping to secure Aoun's election only to find the "hand cut off" accusing the opposition of fragmentation and exclusion from power in Lebanon.[28] Salam and Aoun's election is seen as a manifestation of Hezbollah's diminished influence in Lebanese politics,partly due to the group's military and financial losses in the conflict with Israel and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.[29][30] Aoun formally appointed Salam as Prime Minister on 8 February 2025.[31]
Disarming of Hezbollah
Hezbollah,facing regional pressures and internal challenges,expressed willingness to discuss its disarmament,contingent upon Israel's withdrawal from contested territories in southern Lebanon and the cessation of military strikes. Aoun emphasized direct talks between the presidency and Hezbollah to establish "modalities" for transferring weapons to state control.[32] He stated that he aims to make 2025 the year of "state monopoly on arms". The Lebanese Army,under Aoun's direction,was tasked with confiscating weapons and dismantling unauthorized military facilities in southern Lebanon.[33] This is in line with the ceasefire agreement following the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah conflict,which requires the army to extend state authority and remove all unauthorized arms caches and outposts,regardless of the group controlling them.
In his speech on July 31,2025 in honor of the Lebanese Army’s 80th anniversary,he addressed all parties emphasizing the historic opportunity for the disarmament of Hezbollah,while restoring and reinforcing state sovereignty.[34][35] During the visit of Ali Larijani,secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council,Aoun expressed his thoughts telling Larijani that Lebanon rejects any foreign intervention in its domestic affairs.[36] Only Lebanon and its army are responsible for the state.[37]
Personal life
Aoun is married to Nehmat Nehmeh. They have two children,Khalil and Nour. He is fluent in Arabic,French and English.[38][39]
His son,Khalil Aoun,is a former basketball player,having played in his career for Antranik,Champville,Hoops Club and Louaize.[40] He has since transitioned to a role in basketball management and was appointed as the team manager for Sagesse Club for the 2025/2026 season.
↑The standard spelling of the name jōzēf is جوزيف but the standard spelling in Lebanon is جوزاف due to the Imāla in the Lebanese (Beiruti) dialect. Both spellings appear across different media sources.
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