Ministry of National Defense (Lebanon)

The Ministry of National Defense (Arabic: وزارة الدفاع الوطني Wizārat al-Difāʾ al-Waṭanī) is Lebanon's service section for the Lebanese Armed Forces. The Ministry is located in Yarzeh, Baabda District, Mount Lebanon.^[1] The building which is considered the biggest Ministry building in Lebanon was designed by the French architect André Wogenscky in 1968.^[2] The ministry building also houses the Lebanese Military Museum.

Lebanese Republic
Ministry of National Defense
وزارة الدفاع الوطني

Agency overview
Jurisdiction	Government of Lebanon
Headquarters	Yarze, Baabda, Mount Lebanon 33°50′29″N 35°33′10″E
Agency executives	Michel Menassa, Minister of National Defense Gen. Rodolph Haykal, Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces
Website	Official website

Ministers

The ministers of National Defence have been:^[3]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Emir Majid Arslan[a] (1908–1983)	25 September 1943	9 January 1945	1 year, 106 days	Independent
2		Abdul Hamid Karami (1887–1950)	9 January 1945	22 August 1945	256 days	Independent
3		Ahmed al-Asaad (1902–1961)	22 August 1945	22 May 1946	242 days	An-Nahda Party
(1)		Emir Majid Arslan[a] (1908–1983)	22 May 1946	14 February 1951	4 years, 268 days	Independent
4		Hussein Al Oweini[b] (1910–1971)	14 February 1951	7 June 1951	4 years, 268 days	Independent
5		Rashid Baydoun [ar] (1889–1971)	7 June 1951	2 February 1952	353 days	Talaeh Party
(1)		Emir Majid Arslan[a] (1908–1983)	2 February 1952	9 September 1952	220 days	Independent
6		Nazem Akkari (1902–1985)	9 September 1952	14 September 1952	5 days	Independent
7		Saeb Salam (1905–2000)	14 September 1952	18 September 1952	4 days	Independent
8		Fuad Chehab (1902–1973)	18 September 1952	30 September 1952	12 days	Independent
9		Khaled Chehab (1886–1978)	30 September 1952	30 April 1953	212 days	Independent
(7)		Saeb Salam (1905–2000)	30 April 1953	16 August 1953	108 days	Independent
10		Abdallah El-Yafi (1901–1986)	16 August 1953	1 March 1954	197 days	Independent
(1)		Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983)	1 March 1954	18 November 1956	2 years, 262 days	Independent
(8)		Fuad Chehab (1902–1973)	18 November 1956	1 March 1957	103 days	Independent
11		Sami as-Solh (1887–1968)	1 March 1957	18 August 1957	170 days	Constitutional Bloc
(1)		Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983)	18 August 1957	14 March 1958	208 days	Independent
(5)		Rashid Baydoun [ar] (1889–1971)	14 March 1958	22 May 1958	69 days	Talaeh Party
(11)		Sami as-Solh (1887–1968)	22 May 1958	24 September 1958	125 days	Constitutional Bloc
12		Rashid Karami (1921–1987)	24 September 1958	14 May 1960	1 year, 233 days	Independent
13		Ahmad Daouk (1892–1979)	14 May 1960	1 August 1960	79 days	Independent
(1)		Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983)	1 August 1960	20 May 1961	1 year, 79 days	Independent
(7)		Saeb Salam (1905–2000)	20 May 1961	31 October 1961	164 days	Independent
(1)		Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983)	31 October 1961	20 February 1964	2 years, 112 days	Independent
(4)		Hussein Al Oweini (1910–1971)	20 February 1964	25 July 1965	1 year, 155 days	Independent
(12)		Rashid Karami (1921–1987)	25 July 1965	21 December 1965	149 days	Independent
13		Michel el-Khoury (born 1926)	21 December 1965	9 April 1966	109 days	Constitutional Bloc
13		Fouad Boutros (1917–2016)	9 April 1966	6 December 1966	241 days	Independent
13		Badri al-Maaouche	6 December 1966	8 February 1968	1 year, 64 days	Independent
(10)		Abdallah El-Yafi (1901–1986)	8 February 1968	5 July 1968	148 days	Independent
(5)		Rashid Baydoun [ar] (1889–1971)	5 July 1968	12 October 1968	99 days	Talaeh Party
(1)		Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983)	12 October 1968	20 October 1968	8 days	Independent
(4)		Hussein Al Oweini[b][d] (1910–1971)	20 October 1968	15 January 1969	87 days	Independent
(1)		Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983)	15 January 1969	13 October 1970	1 year, 271 days	Independent
14		Edouard Saouma (1926–2012)	13 October 1970	13 October 1970	0 days	Independent
15		Elias Saba (1932–2023)	13 October 1970	27 May 1972	1 year, 227 days	Independent
(1)		Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983)	27 May 1972	25 April 1973	333 days	Independent
16		Fouad Ghosn	25 April 1973	8 July 1973	74 days	Marada Movement
17		Nasri Maalouf (1911–2005)	8 July 1973	31 October 1974	1 year, 115 days	National Liberal
18		Joseph Skaff (1922–1992)	31 October 1974	23 May 1975	204 days	Popular Bloc (Lebanon)
19		Iskandar Ghanem (1911–2005)	23 May 1975	1 July 1975	39 days	Military
(12)		Rashid Karami (1921–1987)	1 July 1975	15 September 1976	1 year, 76 days	Independent
19		Camille Chamoun (1900–1987)	15 September 1976	9 December 1976	85 days	National Liberal
21		Fouad Boutros (1917–2016)	9 December 1976	20 December 1978	2 years, 11 days	Independent
20		Victor Khoury (1929–2017)	20 December 1978	16 July 1979	208 days	Independent
(18)		Joseph Skaff (1922–1992)	16 July 1979	10 July 1982	2 years, 359 days	Popular Bloc (Lebanon)
21		Issam Khoury	10 July 1982	30 April 1984	1 year, 295 days	Independent
22		Adel Osseiran (1905–1998)	30 April 1984	22 September 1988	4 years, 145 days	Independent
23		Michel Aoun (born 1935)	22 September 1988	25 November 1989	1 year, 64 days	Military
24		Albert Mansour	25 November 1989	24 December 1990	1 year, 28 days	SSNP
24		Michel Murr (1932–2021)	24 December 1990	31 October 1992	1 year, 312 days	Independent
25		Mohsen Dalloul (born 1933)	31 October 1992	4 December 1998	6 years, 34 days	PSP
26		Ghazi Zaiter (born 1949)	4 December 1998	26 October 2000	1 year, 327 days	Amal
27		Khalil Hrawi [fr] (born 1948)	26 October 2000	17 April 2003	2 years, 173 days	Independent
28		Mahmoud Hammoud (1935–2018)	17 April 2003	26 October 2004	1 year, 192 days	Independent
29		Abdul Rahim Mrad (born 1942)	26 October 2004	19 April 2005	175 days	Union Party
30		Elias Murr (born 1962)	19 April 2005	13 June 2011	6 years, 55 days	Independent
31		Fayez Ghosn (1950–2021)	13 June 2011	14 February 2014	2 years, 246 days	Marada Movement
32		Samir Mouqbel (born 1939)	14 February 2014	18 December 2016	2 years, 308 days	Independent
33		Yacoub Sarraf (born 1961)	18 December 2016	3 February 2019	2 years, 47 days	Free Patriotic Movement
34		Elias Bou Saab (born 1967)	3 February 2019	21 January 2020	352 days	Free Patriotic Movement
35		Zeina Akar[f][5] (born 1964)	21 January 2020	10 September 2021	1 year, 249 days	Free Patriotic Movement
36		Maurice Sleem[h] (born 1954)	10 September 2021	8 February 2025	3 years, 144 days	Free Patriotic Movement
37		Michel Menassa	8 February 2025	Incumbent	76 days	Independent

Notes

1. Served simultaneously as Minister of Public Health.
2. Served simultaneously as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
3. Served simultaneously as Minister of Economy and Trade.
4. Served simultaneously as Minister of Economy and Trade.
5. Resigned 10 August 2020, but remained in office as caretaker minister.
6. Resigned 10 August 2020, but remained in office as caretaker minister.
7. Resigned 30 October 2022, but remained in office as caretaker minister.
8. Resigned 30 October 2022, but remained in office as caretaker minister.