Yacoub Riad Sarraf ( ar, يعقوب رياض الصراف; born 1961) is a Lebanese politician. He was born in the town of

Miniara Miniara ( ar, منياره) (also transliterated Minyara) is a village in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon, 9 kilometers east of the Mediterranean Sea, and 3 kilometers south of Halba. The population is between 7,000 and 10,000. History In 1838, Eli ...

in the

Akkar Akkar District ( ar, قضاء عكار) is the only district in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon. It is coextensive with the governorate and covers an area of . The UNHCR estimated the population of the district to be 389,899 in 2015, including 106,935 ...

district of northern Lebanon.

Biography

Sarraf, who is a

Greek Orthodox Christian The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...

, has degrees in civil engineering and architecture from the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...

. He has two children. Sarraf worked for companies in Greece, France and Lebanon before being named governor of

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 ...

in 1999. In 2003 he became governor of

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon ( ar, جَبَل لُبْنَان, ''jabal lubnān'', ; syr, ܛܘܪ ܠܒ݂ܢܢ, ', , ''ṭūr lewnōn'' french: Mont Liban) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It averages above in elevation, with its peak at . Geography The Mount Le ...

. Close to President

Émile Lahoud Émile Jamil Lahoud (born 12 January 1936) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 16th president of Lebanon from 1998 to 2007. His main foreign-policy achievement was to end the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon in May 2000, which was ...

, he was involved in numerous political clashes with the Beirut municipal council and with

Rafiq Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen Al Hariri ( ar, رفيق بهاء الدين الحريري; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese business tycoon and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from ...

. Émile Lahoud had him appointed Minister of the Environment in the Fouad Siniora government formed in July 2005. He held the post of Minister of Defense in an interim capacity while

Elias Murr Elias Murr ( ar, إلياس المرّ, '; born 30 January 1962) is a Lebanese politician and an International political figure. Early life and education Murr was born on 30 January 1962 in Bteghrine. He is the son of former deputy prime min ...

was convalescing from an assassination attempt of July 12, 2005. As Environment Minister, he strongly denounced the oil spill caused by Israeli bombardment of the

Jiyeh Jieh (or Jiyé, Jiyeh, الجية) is a seaside town in Lebanon with an estimated population of 5000, 23 km south of Beirut, in the Chouf district via a 20-minute drive along the Beirut to Sidon highway south of the capital. In Phoenician tim ...

thermal power station A thermal power station is a type of power station in which heat energy is converted to electrical energy. In a steam-generating cycle heat is used to boil water in a large pressure vessel to produce high-pressure steam, which drives a stea ...

during the Israel-Lebanon conflict. He submitted his resignation from the cabinet on November 11, 2006, but Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has rejected the resignation. On 18 December 2016, he was appointed Minister of Defense in the newly formed cabinet of Prime Minister

Saad Hariri Saad El-Din Rafik Al-Hariri ( ar, سعد الدين رفيق الحريري, translit=Saʿd ad-Dīn Rafīq al-Ḥarīrī; born 18 April 1970) is a Lebanese-Saudi politician who served as the prime minister of Lebanon from 2009 to 2011 and 2016 ...

, where he served until 31 January 2019.

References

Arab Decision
s page on Yacoub Sarraf, accessed November 11, 2006. 1961 births Living people Greek Orthodox Christians from Lebanon Defense ministers of Lebanon Government ministers of Lebanon {{Lebanon-politician-stub Free Patriotic Movement politicians