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This past weekend, the Lebanese Parliament approved a one-year extension of the term of office the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Joseph Aoun, who was scheduled to step down on January 10, 2024. The extension came as part of a decision to extend the terms of all senior commanders in the army, against the background of the fighting on the Lebanon-Israel border. This is an unusual and surprising move in view of the inability demonstrated by the parliament since the last elections (May 2022) to pass laws essential to the functioning of the state, headed by the urgent need to agree on the appointment of a new president for Lebanon; Lebanon has been without a president for over a year.

The law was passed thanks to the cooperation by all the political parties in Lebanon, and especially the opponents of Hezbollah, all of whom have an interest in the continued functioning of the Lebanese army at this time, when Lebanon is under threats from the expansion of the war against Israel. In addition, international attempts to promote a political move to stop the fighting in the south assign the army a central role.

The opposition elements were assisted by Hezbollah's partner, Speaker of the Parliament and leader of the Amal movement Nabih Berri. Hezbollah refrained from publicly expressing its position and did not act to torpedo the decision, but it instructed the members of parliament on its behalf to be absent from the vote on the matter. In reports of the decision in the Hezbollah media, its dissatisfaction was evident.

This development is significant for three primary reasons:

1. The growing concerns in Lebanon that the country will be dragged into a wide war and the desire of large groups in the country to allow the promotion of a political move to end the fighting in southern Lebanon. Indeed, the Lebanese army is expected to play a central role in the implementation of any settlement, and especially if it is based on the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which focuses on the distancing of Hezbollah from the border with Israel and the deployment of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL in southern Lebanon.
2. The importance that is attributed in Lebanon to the stabilizing role of the Lebanese army within Lebanon and against Israel, notwithstanding the widespread criticism of its inability and perhaps also its desire to confront Hezbollah.
3. Hezbollah's ongoing fighting against Israel and the resulting harm to Lebanese civilians intensifies internal criticism of the organization and reduces its room for maneuver in the political system in Lebanon.