BEIRUT: Lebanese leaders marked Army Day Friday with calls for the quick election of a new president, as Army chief Gen. Jean Kahwagi urged the military to be ready to confront threats posed by Syria-based Islamist militants and Israel.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale expressed continued U.S. support for the Army, stressing that regional developments – a clear allusion to Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers – have not altered America’s policy toward Lebanon.

Addressing troops on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Lebanese Army’s founding, Kahwagi vowed in his Order of the Day to secure the release of 25 servicemen still held hostage by ISIS andNusra Front militants on the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal.

A senior military source told The Daily Star that for the second consecutive year, Army Day will not be celebrated with the traditional ceremony at the Military Academy in Fayyadieh, including the graduation of a new batch of cadet officers, due to the presidential interregnum.

Speaker Nabih Berri congratulated the military command on the Aug. 1 anniversary. During a meeting with Kahwagi at his Ain al-Tineh residence, Berri praised “the Army’s national role in defending Lebanon, its security and stability.”

Prime Minister Tammam Salam saluted the Army Command and all officers and soldiers for their role in “serving and protecting the nation and their devotion to safeguard its unity and stability.”

“I renew the call for the election of a president as soon as possible in order restore balance to our constitutional institutions and revive our political life and our economic cycle,” Salam said in a statement released by his media office.

He also saluted the soldiers held hostage by terrorist groups. “We hope to bring their tragedy to an end as soon as possible,” he said.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri renewed his strong support for the military, saying he hoped this year’s Army Day would serve as an occasion for the rival parties to overcome their divisions and quickly elect a new president.

“It saddens us that Army Day occurs this year while Lebanon is still without a president who would sponsor this celebration, congratulate the military institution, give hope to the Lebanese in a promising future, and embody the unity of the state and its sustainability,” Hariri said in a statement released by his media office.

Reiterating his strong support for the Army in all its missions, Hariri said: “We hope that this year’s Army Day will represent, with its national meaning, the unity of its institution and the precious sacrifices of its members, an example to all Lebanese, to overcome their divisions and differences and revive the project of the state, by electing a president as soon as possible, because the state is the only guarantee and refuge for all Lebanese without any exception.”

Kahwagi praised the Army for “confronting terrorist organizations … with a high level of professionalism similar to the level of great armies.”

He told the military: “Be fully ready to confront those terrorists and also the Israeli enemy which is still persisting in violating Lebanese sovereignty in various ways, including the crash of two [Israeli] spy drones in Saghbin [in the western Bekaa] and Tripoli port recently.”

The Army, which has carried out pre-emptive strikes against terror cells and thwarted several suicide bomb attacks in the past few months, has frequently clashed with ISIS and Nusra Front militants in areas near the border with Syria.

Kahwagi renewed his pledge to secure the release of the kidnapped soldiers. “On Army Day, we reaffirm that our kidnapped soldiers held by terrorist organizations for exactly one year are a trust in our necks until they are liberated and returned safely to their families, their loved ones and their army,” he said.

Kahwagi called for military unity in the face of political divisions that have led to the 14-month-long presidential vacuum.

“All these are factors require more of you than ever before to close ranks and be fully ready to maintain the nation’s unity, territorial integrity and civil peace,” Kahwagi said. “Keep in mind that the strength of your institution lies in its unity and cohesion.”

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Fneish told The Daily Star that the six ministers who belong to the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah, the Marada Movement and theTashnag Party Friday signed decrees promoting officers who are scheduled to graduate on Army Day Saturday. The move came a day after the remaining 18 ministers had signed the decrees which would allow the graduating officers to be granted the rank of second lieutenant.

A symbolic military ceremony was held at the Defense Ministry in Yarze Friday a attended by Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Walid Salman, who read Kahwagi’s Order of the Day to the soldiers. Similar symbolic ceremonies were also held by the commanders of military regions and air and naval forces attended by families of fallen soldiers.

While voicing U.S. continued support for the Lebanese Army, Hale criticized Lebanese political leaders for failing to get state institutions functioning and end the presidential vacuum.

“America has been, is, and will continue to be the Army’s steadfast and foremost security partner,” Hale said in a statement after meeting Salam at the Grand Serail. “Since 2006, we have provided more than $1 billion in security assistance and critical training. And just as you can count on international support, Lebanon has something no other military has and that is the Lebanese soldier.”

Hale said during his meeting with Salam, he stressed one critical, underlying message: America’s enduring commitment to Lebanon.

“Regional developments have not altered America’s policy toward Lebanon, or any of our commitments to Lebanon; nor do they alter our commitment to regional security,” he said.

The U.S. ambassador lamented that Lebanese political leaders have failed to cooperate to get state institutions functioning.

“We will do our part, and are responding to every request made of us for help. But it is in the power of only the Lebanese to stop this tearing down of the institutions of state, and to start repairing them. When that starts to happen, solutions will follow as well as even stronger international support.”