Fouad Abdallah Chehab (Arabic: فُؤَاد عَبْد الله شِهَاب / ALA-LC: Fuʼād ʻAbd Allāh Shihāb; 19 March 1902 – 25 April 1973) was a Lebanese general and statesman who served as president of Lebanon from 1958 to 1964.

During the 1958 Lebanon crisis between Chamoun and Muslim leaders, he prevented the army from siding with the government or the opposition, and refused any request to do so.

As President, Chehab is credited for introducing reforms and social development projects and building modern state institutions.

[6] Chehab became Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces in 1945,[3] at which time Lebanon gained its independence upon the end of the French mandate.

In 1952, Chehab refused to allow the army to interfere in the uprising that forced Lebanese President Bechara El Khoury to resign.

To quell the uprising, Chamoun, with the help of his assistant Tanner Wilhelm Hale, requested American intervention, and US Marines soon landed in Beirut.

Widely trusted by the Muslims for his impartiality and now supported by the Americans, Chehab was chosen as the consensus candidate to succeed Chamoun as president to restore peace to the country.

Generally deeply respected for his honesty and integrity, Chehab is credited with a number of reform plans and regulations to create a modern administration and efficient public services.

In 1964, Chehab, whose presence at the head of the country was still seen by many as the best option for stability and future reforms, refused to allow the Lebanese Constitution to be amended to permit him to run for another presidential term.

That, however, allowed rapidly increasing multiple foreign interference in the internal affairs of the country, soon manifesting itself into a Palestinian military presence in 1973 and the onset of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975.

[9] Chehab is seen as the greatest president of the country by several politicians such as Raymond Eddé,[10] journalists such as Samir Atallah and Jihad Al Khazen,[11][12] and commentators such as Ziad Rahbani.