Beirut: Caught in the unending jockeying that passes for political practice in this divided country, and unwilling to besmirch the reputation of the armed forces, Defense Minister Samir Moqbel surprised everyone on Wednesday night when he extended the terms of the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), General Jean Qahwaji, that of the LAF Chief-of-Staff, Major-General Walid Salman, and the Head of the Higher Defence Council, General Mohammad Khair, until September 30, 2016.

The decision is a failure for the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader and March 8 presidential candidate, General Michel Aoun, who was outmaneuvered in a classic pincher drive.

For weeks on end, Aoun and the FPM pressured the government to appoint new military and security chiefs, toyed and tossed the cabinet around, and insisted that nothing else will get done until their demands were met. In fact, the Wednesday cabinet session disappointed on other levels since it could not muster the will to resolve long-simmering issues ranging from a genuine health crisis over uncollected garbage and recurring electricity cuts amid an unusual heat wave. Everyone was surprised, however, when Moqbel organized a successful tactical ploy that trapped the opposition.

Instead of asking for a vote on Salman’s expiring term at midnight on August 7, the defense minister tabled a two-pronged initiative: an offer to select from among 6 officers for the LAF Commander post, 5 for that of the Chief-of-Staff, and 4 for that of the head of the Higher Defence Council, coupled with the unprecedented revelation of their names in front of all 24 ministers.

The package deal proposal to extend all three posts simultaneously was a long-standing FPM wish, whose attendees found themselves cornered at the meeting, since they could not possibly object to one of their demands. Where they were overplayed was in the revelation of the names, all high-ranking generals currently serving in the LAF, whose publication may well-have soiled honor-bound reputations since only one could be chosen for each position. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gibran Basil, told his Progressive Socialist Party counterparts, Wael Abou Faour and Akram Chehayeb, that the FPM would have voted for a replacement to General Salman if a vote was called, but that did not occur because Moqbel insisted on a package deal.

In the event, Al-Nahar published the names of the officers involved, which added to the FPM dilemma given that the party could not possibly toss them around in the cabinet bazaar and further sully standings of rejected candidates.

Interestingly, the six names advanced for the LAF Commander post included Brigadier-General Chamel Roukoz [along with Generals Maroun Hatti, Albert Karam, François Chahine, Richard Helou and Claude Hayek], Michel Aoun’s son-in-law and current head of the Army Commando Unit.

The five names for the Chief-of-Staff position included generals Generals Hatem Malak, Marwan Halawi, Durayd Zahridin, Amin Abu Majahid and Ghassan Abdul Samad. Four names were tabled to potentially replace General Mohammed Khair at the Higher Defence Council: Generals Fadel Tlays, Isam Abdallah, Tariq Baltaji and Amir Al Hassan.

Moqbel’s preemptive measure occurred despite intensive efforts by rival factions to reach an agreement that will now raise the FPM’s ire. In fact, press reports revealed that the Minister of Education, Elias Bou Saab, lamented the decision, saying it ran contrary to the law. For the FPM official, what Moqbel did fell “outside the Cabinet’s discussions,” although it was unclear why the opprobrium was so tough especially since the defence minister informed Aoun of his plans a few days ago, and in person.

For now, a dejected Aoun will have to lick his wounds and see whether his relative isolation among Lebanon’s elites, including the loss of an erstwhile ally like Speaker Nabih Berri, can be remedied. The FPM and Hezbollah were expected to request additional time to conduct consultations over the proposal to increase the minimum retirement age for military officers, including the three top individuals whose terms of office will now expire on September 30, 2016.