Michel Aoun

General Michel Aoun
ميشال عون
Aoun in 2022
13th President of Lebanon
In office 31 October 2016 – 30 October 2022
Prime Minister	See list Tammam Salam Saad Hariri Hassan Diab Najib Mikati
Preceded by	Michel Suleiman
Acting 22 September 1988 – 13 October 1990^ Disputed
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Amine Gemayel
Succeeded by	Elias Hrawi
28th Prime Minister of Lebanon
In office 22 September 1988 – 13 October 1990^^ Disputed
President	Himself
Preceded by	Selim Hoss
Succeeded by	Selim Hoss
Member of Parliament
In office 20 April 2005 – 31 October 2016
Succeeded by	Chamel Roukoz
Constituency	Keserwan District
Commander of the Armed Forces
In office 23 June 1984 – 27 November 1989
Preceded by	Ibrahim Tannous
Succeeded by	Émile Lahoud
Personal details
Born	Michel Naim Aoun (1933-09-30) 30 September 1933 (age 91) Haret Hreik, Beirut, Lebanon
Political party	Free Patriotic Movement
Other political affiliations	March 8 Alliance
Spouse	Nadia El-Chami ​ (m. 1968)​
Children	3
Awards	OM ONC
Signature
Nickname(s)	Jebrayel, Raad[1] The General[2]
Military service
Allegiance	Lebanon
Branch/service	Lebanese Army
Years of service	1958–1991
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Lebanese Civil War
^Aoun's presidency was disputed by Selim Hoss, René Moawad and Elias Hrawi. ^^Aoun's premiership was disputed by Selim Hoss.

This article is part of a series about Michel Aoun
Early Life Political views Personal Life Commander of the Army Mountain War Military Cabinet War of Liberation War of Elimination Exile Leader of FPM Establishment Syria Accountability Act 2005 elections Change and Reform bloc Mar Mikhael Understanding 2006–2008 protests OTV 2008 presidential election 2009 elections Maarab Agreement President of Lebanon 2016–2022 Presidential election Second Hariri Cabinet 2017 Saudi dispute 2018 elections Third Hariri Cabinet 2019 forest fires 17 October revolution Diab Cabinet COVID-19 pandemic 2022 elections Israeli–Lebanese maritime border dispute 2022 cholera outbreak in Lebanon Presidential trips Une certaine vision du Liban
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Michel Naim Aoun (Arabic: ميشال نعيم عون, Lebanese Arabic: [miˈʃæːl naˈʕiːm ʕawn]; born 30 September 1933)^[3][4] is a Lebanese politician and former general who served as the 13th President of Lebanon from 31 October 2016 to 30 October 2022.^[5]

Born in Haret Hreik to a Maronite Christian family, Aoun joined the Military Academy in 1955 and graduated as an artillery officer in the Lebanese Army. In 1984, he became the youngest Commander of the Army, at the age of 49. On 22 September 1988, during the fourth phase of the Lebanese Civil War, the departing President Amine Gemayel appointed him as the interim Prime Minister of a Military Government after the parliament failed to elect a new president, and dismissed the current government headed by the Acting Prime Minister Selim Hoss. This controversial decision saw the rise of two rival governments contending for power at that time, with Aoun being supported mainly by Christians and Iraq, while the other being supported by Muslims and Syria.

Aoun declared the War of Liberation against Syrian Army forces on 14 March 1989, opposed the Taif Agreement, refused to recognize the newly elected presidents René Moawad and Elias Hrawi, clashed with the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, and survived an assassination attempt on 12 October 1990. On 13 October, the Syrian forces launched a decisive operation against Aoun, invading his strongholds including the Presidential Palace in Baabda and killing hundreds of Lebanese soldiers and civilians. Aoun fled to the French Embassy in Beirut where he declared his surrender and was later granted asylum in France where he lived in exile for 15 years.

In exile, Aoun founded the Free Patriotic Movement, and advocated for the Syria Accountability Act by testifying in the US Congress. In 2005, a chain of widespread demonstrations triggered by the assassination of Rafic Hariri erupted in Lebanon, resulted in the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country. On 7 May, Aoun returned to Lebanon.

Aoun was elected to the Parliament for the first time in the same year, while his party won 21 seats in the parliament, forming the largest Christian bloc, and second biggest bloc in the Parliament. In 2006, he signed a memorandum of understanding with Hezbollah, starting a major alliance that has remained ever since. Despite the bloody history with the regime of Hafez al-Assad, father of Bashar al-Assad, Aoun visited Syria in 2008, ending his long rivalry with Damascus.

In 2016, Aoun reconciled with Geagea after signing the Maarab Agreement, and was endorsed by the Lebanese Forces, Future Movement, Progressive Socialist Party as well as Hezbollah to become the thirteenth President of Lebanon. He is the oldest president, taking office at the age of 83 years. After his election, he was sworn in and succeeded Michel Suleiman.

In 2019, the country descended into chaos with a popular uprising, bringing millions of Lebanese in Lebanon and abroad to take to the streets, mainly caused by the liquidity crisis, political corruption and sectarianism.