Lebanon’s new president and former army commander Joseph Aoun has maintained a low profile. Those who know him say he is no-nonsense and averse to affiliating himself with any party or even expressing a political opinion.

Joseph Aoun, Lebanon's army chief who was elected president on Thursday, is a political neophyte whose position as head of one of the country's most respected institutions helped end a two-year deadlock.

Widely seen as US, Saudi Arabia's first choice, the 61-year-old general has forged relations across Lebanon's sectarian divides but is often criticized by Hezbollah affiliates