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His ExcellencyJoseph Aoun
جوزيف عون
Aoun in 2018
14th President of Lebanon
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 January 2025
Prime Minister	Najib Mikati
Preceded by	Najib Mikati (acting) Michel Aoun
14th Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 March 2017
President	Michel Aoun Najib Mikati (acting) Himself
Preceded by	Jean Kahwaji
Personal details
Born	(1964-01-10) 10 January 1964 (age 61) Sin el Fil, Mount Lebanon, Lebanon
Spouse	Nehmat Nehmeh
Alma mater	Lebanese American University (BA)​ Lebanese Army Military Academy
Military service
Allegiance	Lebanon
Branch/service	Lebanese Army
Years of service	1983–present
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Lebanese Civil War

Joseph Khalil Aoun (Arabic: جوزيف خليل عون, born 10 January 1964) is a Lebanese general serving as the 14th president of Lebanon since 9 January 2025. He was elected despite Article 49 of the Lebanese Constitution, which prohibits judges, Grade One civil servants, and their equivalents in all public institutions from being elected to the Presidency during their tenure. He has also served as the 14th Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces since 2017.

Early life and education

Aoun was born on January 10, 1964 in the Beirut suburb of Sin el-Fil in the Metn District, the child of Hoda Ibrahim Makhlouta and Khalil Aoun. Aoun completed secondary school at the Collège des Frères Mont La Salle. His family is originally from the town of Al-Aaishiyah, Southern Lebanon.

He enrolled at the Lebanese American University to pursue a bachelor's degree in political science and international affairs, which he earned in 2007. Aoun also holds a bachelor's degree in military science from the Lebanese Army Military Academy.

Personal life

Joseph Aoun is married to Nehmat Nehmeh. They have two children, Khalil and Nour. He is fluent in Arabic, French and English. Contrary to popular belief, he is unrelated to his predecessor as President of Lebanon and fellow Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Michel Aoun.

Military Career

Aoun joined the Lebanese army in 1983. 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 has headed the army's 9th Infantry Brigade since 2015.

Lebanese Civil war

In 1990, Joseph Aoun served as a lieutenant under the command of Maghaweer leader Bassam Gergi at the Adma barracks. During the Adma Battle in the Elimination War, Gergi was killed and Aoun took over leadership within the Maghawir group.

Commander of the LAF

Aoun’s role began to rise in 2015 when he was appointed commander of the 9th Brigade deployed on the border with Israel. On 8 March 2017, the Lebanese government appointed Joseph Aoun commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, replacing Jean Kahwaji.

Aoun led battles against the ISIS campaign in eastern Lebanon yet, where hundreds of militants from the Nusra Front and the Islamic State (ISIS) were entrenched in barren areas on the border with Syria. In August 19, 2017 he commanded the Jroud Dawn Operation which was a successful offensive to expel the Islamist militants from their strongholds.

Following the protests in Lebanon and with the deadlock of the formation of the government, General Aoun made a speech on March 8, 2021 concerning the local and regional situation. Aoun focused on the economic crisis and its impact on the military staff and addressed the political class: "Where are we going? What are you waiting for? What do you plan to do? We have warned more than once of the danger of the situation." His speech went viral on social media.

On December 15, 2023, the Lebanese parliament voted to extend Aoun's term for one year which was mainly endorsed by the Lebanese Opposition, the Amal Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party. During this time, he led the LAF through the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. On November 28, 2024, parliament voted to extend his term a second time.

Presidential candidacy

Aoun's possible 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. 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 also followed with support. A 5-nation group was formed by the Doha envoy which involved the United States, France, KSA, and Egypt to hold talks and solve the presidential vacancy in Lebanon in which most countries affirmed its support for the election of Joseph Aoun. Jumblatt was the first to announce that the Democratic Gathering bloc he leads will elect him.

Presidency

On January 9, 2025, Aoun was elected by the Lebanese parliament as the 14th president of Lebanon during the second round of the electoral session. In his speech during his swearing-in ceremony he vowed to end mafias, drug trafficking and interference in the justice system referring to the importance of judicial independence.

Honors

Ribbon	Description	Notes	Ref.
	War Medal	3-time recipient
	Medal of the Wounded	2-time recipient
	Medal of National Unity
	Medal of the "Dawn of the South"
	Military Valour Medal, Silver
	Order of Merit, third class
	Order of Merit, second class
	Order of Merit, first class
	Knight of the National Order of the Cedar
	Officer of the National Order of the Cedar

References

1. "Lebanon 1926 (rev. 2004)". Constitute Project.
2. "A memorial service held to honor Mrs. Hoda Ibrahim Makhlouta, the mother of the LAF Commander General Joseph Aoun". الموقع الرسمي للجيش اللبناني. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
3. "Joseph Aoun". en.majalla.com. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
4. ^ العلي, محمد داود. "الرئاسة اللبنانية على صفيح ساخن.. جوزيف عون "مرشح الضرورة"". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-12-23.
5. "From Academia to Army, an Interview with General Joseph Aoun". magazine.lau.edu.lb. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
6. "Commanders". Retrieved 6 June 2017.
7. "Lebanon's army chief Joseph Aoun, a man with a tough mission". France 24. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
8. "Lebanon's army chief Joseph Aoun, a man with a tough mission - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012". www.al-monitor.com. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
9. "والد أحد الضباط الشهداء: وصول العماد جوزيف عون لقيادة الجيش يعني وصول ولدي". elnashra (in Arabic). 2017-09-25.
10. "هذا انا جورج نادر.. معركة ادما والمغوار الذي يموت واقفاً ولا ينحني - الحلقة الرابعة عشر". lebanondebate (in Arabic). 2016-03-03.
11. Joseph Aoun | Official Website of the Lebanese Army
12. "Operation 'Jroud Dawn': Lebanon begins assault on Islamic State". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
13. "ماذا قال قائد الجيش اللبناني بشأن الوضع السياسي في البلاد؟". سكاي نيوز عربية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-03-10.
14. Prentis, Jamie (2023-12-15). "Lebanese Parliament votes to extend army chief's term by a year". The National. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
15. "Lebanon's parliament renews army chief's term in first session after ceasefire". Associated Press. 2024-11-28. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
16. "Lebanon army chief emerges as potential candidate for president". Arab News. 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
17. "Report: Qatar calls for meeting of five-nation group on Thursday". Naharnet. July 10, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
18. "Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun seen as a president-in-waiting after Doha visit". Gulf News. 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
19. "Présidentielle : Pour Bassil, Geagea est celui qui « bénéficie de la légitimité populaire »" [Presidential election: for Bassil, Geagea is the one who "has popular support"]. L'Orient–Le Jour (in French). 31 December 2024.
20. "Lebanon's army chief Joseph Aoun elected president". Al Arabiya. 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
21. "Joseph Aoun, elected president, wants Lebanese state to invest in its army to protect its borders, combat smuggling, terrorism, Israeli aggression | Our live coverage of the parliamentary session". L'Orient Today. 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
22. "Joseph Aoun | الموقع الرسمي للجيش اللبناني". www.lebarmy.gov.lb. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
23. "Foreword of LAF Commander General Joseph Aoun". الموقع الرسمي للجيش اللبناني. Retrieved 2024-03-03.

v t e Commanders of the Lebanese Armed Forces
Fuad Chehab (1945–58) Toufic Salem (1958–59) Adel Shehab (1959–65) Emile Boustany (1965–70) Jean Njeim (1970–71) Iskandar Ghanem (1971–75) Hanna Saïd (1975–77) Victor Khoury (1977–82) Ibrahim Tannous (1982–84) Michel Aoun (1984–89) Émile Lahoud (1989–98) Michel Suleiman (1998–2008) Jean Kahwaji (2008–17) Joseph Aoun (2017–)

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