The Lebanese cabinet on Friday announced Brigadier General Jean Kahwaji is to serve as Lebanon’s next army commander, a position that has been vacant since General Michel Sleiman was elected President of the Republic by consensus in May, 2008.
Information Minister Tarek Mitri told reporters that the cabinet had “decided to appoint Jean Kahwaji to the post of head of the Lebanese army.”
Shortly before the session convened, Defense Minister Elias al-Murr said General Kahwaji, who was commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces’ 12th brigade, met the requirements of military competence and the capacity to lead.
Murr also said the army commander should be detached from politics and sectarian divisions, and should treat all citizens and groups fairly and called for those responsible for Thursday’s downing of a military helicopter to be brought to justice.
Captain Samer Hanna, 25, was killed when his helicopter was hit by gunfire during a training mission in a region known as a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.
AFP reported that Hezbollah had handed over to military police the culprit behind the downing of a military helicopter that killed an army officer, a judicial source said on Friday.
"Hezbollah has handed over the person who fired at the helicopter to military police," the source told AFP. "The person behind the attack is in the hands of military officials who are investigating the incident."
The identity of the person handed over has not been revealed, according to AFP.
"The area where this distressing incident took place is, as everybody knows, under the control of the Resistance (Hezbollah)," said former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss, who is considered close to the Hezbollah-led opposition.
"Hezbollah must explain and not justify what happened, because the death of a brilliant officer cannot be justified whatever the circumstances of the incident," Hoss said in a statement.
The pro-opposition newspaper As-Safir also blamed Hezbollah, reporting that “It seems that poor advance coordination between the army and the Resistance about the helicopter's overflight as well as the state of mobilization in Resistance ranks due to Israeli threats led to the confusion.”
"Hezbollah militants thought it was an Israeli commando raid," the paper said, adding that when the fighters realized the mistake they immediately transported the lieutenant to the hospital.
-NOW Staff