Ibrahim Tannous (1929 – December 26, 2012)
was a former commander of the
Lebanese Armed Forces
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; ), also known as the Lebanese Army (), is the national military of the Republic of Lebanon. It consists of three branches, the ground forces, the air force, and the navy. The motto of the Lebanese Armed Forces is ...
. General Tannous earned a reputation for honesty and was seen as “a general willing to get his uniform dirty to build a fighting Lebanese Army,” in the words of one Arab authority.
Tannous took over command of the
Lebanese Armed Forces
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; ), also known as the Lebanese Army (), is the national military of the Republic of Lebanon. It consists of three branches, the ground forces, the air force, and the navy. The motto of the Lebanese Armed Forces is ...
(LAF) in December 1982, during the early years of the
civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
and oversaw joint operations with the
Multinational Force A multinational force is a multinational operation which may be defensive, offensive, or for peacekeeping purposes. In multinational operations, many countries form an alliance to carry them out.
Multinational forces include:
* Supreme Headquar ...
that was in charge of training LAF forces and restoring order to
Beirut
Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
. Tannous, who was close to President Gemayel, resigned his post as armed forces commander in June 1984 as a concession to government's opposition factions who were calling for restructuring the army and was succeeded by
Michel Aoun.
Until Gen. Tannous' resignation, the army was one of the most important institution supporting the
U.S.
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
-backed Gemayel Government, however, Tannous' departure marked a major shift in the American-trained armed forces towards a policy closely in tune with
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
's foreign policy and security objectives.
Personal life
Married with four children.
Military career
* Enrolled in the Military Academy as a Cadet Officer on 10/16/1952
* Promoted to
second lieutenant on 10/1/1955
* Promoted to
first lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
on 10/1/1958
* Promoted to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
on 1/1/1965
* Promoted to
major
Major most commonly refers to:
* Major (rank), a military rank
* Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits
* People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames
* Major and minor in musi ...
on 1/1/1969
* Promoted to
lieutenant colonel of Staff on 7/1/1972
* Promoted to
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
of staff on 1/1/1980
* Promoted to
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
of staff on 12/8/1982
* Promoted to
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
on 12/8/1982
Functions
* Assigned to 4th artillery regiment on 8/1/1956
* Assigned to the Military Academy (Deputy Trainer) on 9/1/1957
* Reinstated to the 4th artillery regiment on 8/1/1958
* Assigned to the general Headquarters – 4th Bureau on 10/1/1958
* Was assigned to the 5th artillery battalion- commander of battalion, on 6/4/1962
* Was assigned to the 2nd artillery regiment, artillery brigade (deputy-commander of regiment) on 1/25/1966
* Appointed commander of artillery regiment on 7/3/1968
* Appointed chief of the 4th Bureau per Interim, as from 5/21/1965 to 8/16/1970
* Appointed Deputy Chief of the 4th Bureau on 8/17/1970
* Appointed chief of the Co-operative service at the Social Affairs directorate on 10/4/1971
* Appointed chief of the Finance control Office at the directorate of Administrative Control on 4/21/1972
* Was assigned to the region of North Lebanon on 7/21/1973
* Was assigned to the HQ of the infantry brigade
** Chief of Staff of brigade on 8/1/1973
* Was assigned to the independent anti-tanks company (artillery commander) on 8/3/1974
* Was transferred to the company of the Bekaa regional district
** Regional deputy to the commander of the region on 7/18/1974
* Was detached to the Beirut region Command as from 9/16/1974 to 9/26/1974
* Appointed Deputy to the Commander of the Bekaa region on 12/21/1974
* Was detached to command by Interim, the Eastern defense Sector, on 2/28/1975
* Assigned to the HQ Battalion of the 1st infantry brigade- Chief of Staff of the brigade on 8/18/1975
* Assigned to the Army Headquarters Battalion as Chief of the Studies, organization and planning Office on 8/30/1975
* Assigned to the Sector No. 3/Unit 31 as commander of the group on 3/15/1978
* Appointed Armed Forces Commander on 12/8/1982
* Was released from his duty as the Armed Forces Commander, on his request, and was put at the disposition of the minister of National Defense on 6/23/1984
* Retired to pension on 7/1/1988
Medals, awards and honors
* Lebanese order of Merit in Silver
* National order of the Cedar in Class of Knight
* Commemorative Medal of 12/13/1961
* National Order of the Cedar in Officer Class
* Lebanese Order of Merit with branches in Second Class
* War Medal, two times
* National Order of the Cedar, Class of Commander
* National order of Merit in Grand Cordon Class
* Lebanese Order of Merit in First Class
* Commendation of the Minister of National Defense, one time
* Commendation of the Armed Forces Commander, two times
* Felicitations of the Armed Forces Commander, 3 times
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tannous, Ibrahim
1929 births
2012 deaths
Lebanese Maronites
Military personnel of the Lebanese Civil War
Date of birth missing
Lebanese generals