Lebanon, the US and France have appointed their representatives to the ceasefire monitoring five-member committee agreed to by Hezbollah and Israel.
The Lebanese Army's Brigadier General Edgard Lawandos has been appointed to represent Lebanon, while France has appointed Brigadier General Guillaume Ponchin and the US has appointed Major General Jasper Jeffers. General Ponchin is expected today in Beirut, while Major General Jeffers arrived a few days ago.
Who Is Guillaume Ponchin?
Ponchin is a senior French officer with extensive experience in UN peacekeeping operations, having previously commanded the UN mission in Mali.
He was responsible for steering the reorganization of the French Army's operations in Africa. From July to December 2023, he was Chief of Staff of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and oversaw the withdrawal of the 12,000 troops of this UN peacekeeping operation, in accordance with Resolution 2690.
Highlights of His Career
The French Brigadier was born on December 1st, 1971, in Marseille. He began his career in the French land forces, with extensive operational experience in Europe and Africa. Alongside his UN mission in Mali, he participated in numerous operations under national command (Senegal 2000, Licorne ICR 2003 and 2007, Epervier Chad 2010 and 2013), NATO (SFOR 1999 and 2001, ISAF 2011), and the European Union (ECMM Albania 1998, EUFOR RCA 2014).
These assignments allowed him to take on command roles in complex political and operational environments, including leading an operational monitoring and liaison team in Afghanistan, serving as Chief of Joint Operations in Chad and commanding a Multinational Battalion in the Central African Republic.
During his ICR and CAR deployments, he closely collaborated with peacekeeping forces in neighboring areas, such as ONUCI and MINUSCA.
The early years of his career were defined by two pivotal experiences. First, a six-year assignment in Donaueschingen, Germany, allowed him to immerse himself in a foreign culture and work daily in a multinational setting, honing his methodical approach to crisis management.
Later, from 2013 to 2015, he served in Brive-la-Gaillarde, where he held multiple roles: commanding officer of a combat regiment, Departmental Military Delegate and Defense Base Commander. This period deepened his involvement in interministerial and interservice collaboration, while reinforcing the connection between the armed forces and the civilian population in his jurisdiction.
General Ponchin then acquired experience and responsibilities within the Joint Staff Headquarters, where he has held a number of exposed positions. He was appointed Military Advisor to the Director of the Gendarmerie Nationale from 2015 to 2017, and fostered interministerial cooperation to address the threat posed by terrorism in France.
From 2019 to 2021, he served as head of office at the Armed Forces General Staff, during which he established and managed the Ministry of Defense’s first COVID-19 ministerial platform. He also spearheaded a comprehensive analysis of the Armed Forces’ response to hybrid strategies.
Following this, he spent a year as Chief of Staff for the Franco-British Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), a binational force counting up to 10,000 troops, deployable at short notice and able to conduct high-intensity operations.
In 2021, he was appointed Executive Assistant to the Chief of Joint Operations, supporting this senior authority for two years both domestically and in operational roles abroad. This demanding period, marked by the war in Ukraine, the Barkhane withdrawal and Operation Sagittaire in Sudan, allowed him to engage in all aspects of national operational decision-making.
Education & Merits
Former Cadet at the Saint-Cyr Military Academy, he is a graduate of the Ecole de Guerre, the Centre Des Hautes Etudes du Ministère de l'Intérieur (CHEMI) and the Institut National des Hautes Etudes de Sécurité et de Justice (INHESJ). He is an Officer of the Legion of Honour, a Knight of the National Order of Merit and holds the Military Valour Cross with three commendations.
Who Is Jasper Jeffers?
The US military has appointed Major General Jasper Jeffers to oversee the monitoring and implementation of the Washington-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon, which took effect in the early hours of Wednesday 27 November, CENTCOM announced in a press release.
The head of the Special Operations Command Central will carry out his mission alongside US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein, who helped broker the truce between Israel and Hezbollah over the past few weeks.
Jeffers arrived last week in the Lebanese capital, as part of his mission to monitor the ceasefire’s implementation, CENTCOM said. He met with Lebanese armed forces commander Joseph Aoun on Friday, where they discussed the coordination mechanism between the involved parties in the south, the Lebanese Army said on its X account.
The press release noted that “the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah will be chaired by the United States and include the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), the Israeli Army, the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), as well as France.”
Jeffers' assignment in Lebanon is not his first military deployment in the Middle East.
The Major General took part in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, serving as a Company Commander and Air Operations Officer with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Infantry Regiment.
He also served in Afghanistan as Advisor to the Commander of Operation Resolute Support, a NATO military mission in the country.
Later, he was appointed Brigade Chief in the US Special Operations Command, deployed to Iraq and Syria to fight the Islamic State (Daesh) group in both countries.
Jeffers’ Military Career
Jasper Jeffers embarked on his military career in 1996 after graduating from Virginia Tech, beginning as an Infantry Officer. His first role was as a Rifle Platoon Commander and Operations Officer with the 4-31st Infantry Regiment at Fort Drum, New York.
He later served as a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer with the 1st Battalion, 75th Infantry Regiment, based at Fort Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia.
Jeffers steadily rose through the ranks, taking on roles such as Company Commander and Air Operations Officer with the 1-5 Infantry Regiment, 1/25 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington. He went on to hold several key command positions, including Troop and Squadron Commander, as well as Deputy Brigade Commander within the US Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
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