Iskandar Ghanem
Iskandar Ghanem | |
|---|---|
اسكندر غانم | |
 | |
| Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces | |
| In office 1971–1975 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Iskandar Assad Ghanem 1911 Saghbine, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 2005 (aged 93–94) |
| Children | 3, including Robert Ghanem |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Lebanon |
| Rank | General |
Iskandar Ghanem (Arabic: اسكندر غانم, 1911–2005) was a Lebanese army general who was the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army in the period from 1971 to 1976. He was close to Suleiman Frangieh and held the post during his presidency.[1]
Biography
Ghanem was born in Saghbine, West Bekaa, in 1911[2] and hailed from a Maronite family.[3] He was dismissed from the Lebanese army, but he rejoined the army on 24 July 1971 when he was promoted to the rank of general[4] and appointed commander-in-chief of the army.[5][6] Ghanem replaced Jean Njeim in the post who died in a helicopter crash on 24 July 1975.[5][7] In May 1975 Ghanem was also named minister of national defense and minister of electrical and hydraulic resources in the military cabinet led by retired brigadier general Noureddine Abdullah Rifai.[3] Ghanem served as commander-in-chief of the army until his retirement in January 1976.[2] Ghanem's successor was Hanna Said.[8]
Controversy
The Israeli forces attacked the headquarters of Palestinians in Lebanon on 10 April 1973 and killed three Palestinians who were the leaders of the Black September Organization.[9] Upon this incident due to pressures from the Sunni community Prime Minister Saeb Salam requested the dismissal of Iskandar Ghanem, but Salam's request was not accepted by the President Suleiman Frangieh which led to the resignation of Salam.[9]
Personal life and death
Ghanem was married and had three children. One of his children was Robert Ghanem who was a lawyer and served as the education minister in the second cabinet of Rafik Hariri in the mid-1990s.[10] Iskandar Ghanem died in 2005.
References
- ^ Eduardo W Aboultaif (2016). "The Lebanese Army: Saviour of the Republic?". The RUSI Journal. 161 (1): 74. doi:10.1080/03071847.2016.1152123.
- ^ a b "إسكندر الموقع الرسمي للجيش اللبناني" (in Arabic). Lebanese Army. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Military Governments in Lebanon". The Monthly. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "Blast near Israel Kills 4 Lebanese". The New York Times. Beirut. 28 November 1971. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ a b Dan Naor; Eyal Lewin (2021). "The 1967 war as point of departure for the 1982 war in Lebanon: an uncommon interpretation". Middle Eastern Studies. 57 (2): 370. doi:10.1080/00263206.2020.1830375.
- ^ "Chronology May 16, 1971-August 15, 1971". Middle East Journal. 25 (4): 513. Autumn 1971. JSTOR 4324833.
- ^ "Funeral of Lebanese Army Commander Killed In Helicopter Crash. 1971". British Pathe. Reuters. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ Norman Howard (January 1976). "Upheaval in Lebanon". Current History. 70 (412): 7. JSTOR 45314132.
- ^ a b Meir Zamir (January 1990). "The Lebanese Presidential Elections of 1970 and Their Impact on the Civil War of 1975- 1976". Middle Eastern Studies. 16 (1): 64. doi:10.1080/00263208008700424.
- ^ "Former MP and minister Robert Ghanem, 77 mourned by politicians". Ya Libnan. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
External links
Media related to Iskandar Ghanem at Wikimedia Commons
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