Lebanon's pro-Syrian Cabinet Tuesday appointed a new army commander as supporters of strongman Gen. Michel Aoun demonstrated in support of the general.
Defense Minister Albert Mansour said in a statement, "Today, we declare Emile Lahoud as the new commander of the army. We call on all officers and soldiers to declare their loyalty to their new commander."The defense minister said Lahoud, 53, was promoted from brigadier general to general as he was named commander of the divided 35,000-man army.
Analysts said that the appointment of Lahoud, from a very prominant Maronite family and a widely respected officer in the Christian enclave, was designed to encourage ranking military personnel around Aoun to rebel against him.
Mansour made the declaration at the Park Hotel, a three-story building in the Syrian-policed town of Chtaura, 22 miles east of Beirut, that was transformed into a temporary headquarters of newly elected President Elias Hrawi because Aoun still occupies the traditional presidential palace in the suburban district of Baabda, 5 miles southeast of Beirut.
The newly elected president Sunday called on Aoun, who commands a 15,000-strong predominantly Christian army force stationed in the Christian region, to relinquish his posts as head of an interim Cabinet and the army.
The majority of Lebanon's 72-member parliament elected Hrawi, also a Maronite, Friday after his predecessor, Rene Moawad, was killed in a bomb blast Wednesday.
Aoun, named to head an interim government by outgoing President Amin Gemayel in 1988, has refused to step down and has called the elections of Hrawi and Moawad illegal. The general has rebuffed an Arab League-brokered peace agreement reached Oct. 23 in Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Hrawi warned Sunday he would order a limited military operation to oust Aoun if he did not step down within 48 hours.
Aoun, who had established a military operations room at his Baabda headquarters, has vowed not to step down.
The Christian enclave observed a general strike Tuesday in support of Aoun. Witnesses said that only bakeries, pharmacies and hospitals were open.
"We will resist with knives and stones," chanted thousands of Christian demonstrators who staged an "open-ended" sit-in around Aoun's headquarters to express support Aoun.
Hundreds of Syrian troops were deployed around the Christian region, the sources said.
The Syrian measures came amid reports that Syria and its Lebanese militia allies planned an offensive to oust Aoun from the Baabda palace.