Ibrahim Tannous (1929 – December 26, 2012) was a former commander of the

Lebanese Armed Forces ) , founded = 1 August 1945 , current_form = 1991 , disbanded = , branches = Lebanese Ground ForcesLebanese Air ForceLebanese Navy , headquarters = Yarze, Lebanon , flying_hours = , website ...

. 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. Gen. Tannous took over command of the

(LAF) in December 1982, during the early years of the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same 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 ...

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, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. Gen. Tannous, who is 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 (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

-backed Gemayel Government, however, Tannous' departure marked a major shift in the American-trained armed forces towards a policy closely in tune with Syria's foreign policy and security objectives.

Personal life

Born in

Kobayat Al Qoubaiyat, Koubeiyat, Kobayat or Qoubayat ( ar, ٱلْقُبَيَّات) is the biggest Christian village in the Akkar Governorate, Lebanon. Its population is mostly composed of Maronites numbering around 12,000 persons according to the civil ...

, Akkar,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

in 1929, was married and had 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 ...

on 10/1/1958 Promoted to Captain on 1/1/1965 Promoted to Major 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 rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of Staff on 1/1/1980 Promoted to

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

of Staff on 12/8/1982 Promoted to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

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 Transferred to pension on 7/1/1988

Courses inside the country

Enhancement Training Course for officers from 7/16/1968 to 9/28/1968 4 months course in Italian language at the Italian cultural center as from 11/8/1971 Complementary course for officers from 5/7/1968 to 7/13/1968 Rank upgrading course from 5/17/1979 to 10/27/1979

Courses outside the country

Training Course in France from 10/8/1955 to 8/18/1956 Training Course in Italy from 9/26/1972 to 7/2/1975

Medals, awards and honors

Medal for battle wounds 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 Lebanese military personnel 1929 births 2012 deaths Lebanese Maronites