FACTBOX: Five facts about Lebanon's army commander

(Reuters) - Outgoing Lebanese President Emile Lahoud ordered the army to take control of the country's security on Friday after parliament failed to elect his successor, hours before he was due to step down.

Here are five facts about army commander General Michel Suleiman.

* Suleiman, 59, has been army commander since 1998. Since then, Israeli troops withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000, Israel and Hezbollah fought a war in 2006 and the army battled al Qaeda-inspired militants in north Lebanon this year.

* His name had been mentioned as a possible compromise presidential candidate but electing him would have required a constitutional amendment to allow a senior public servant run for office.

* The general has been credited with keeping the army neutral during domestic splits and violence over the past three years. But the anti-Syrian governing coalition does not view him favourably, partly because he did not suppress anti-government street protests which erupted early this year.

* Suleiman gained popularity during the army's 15-week onslaught against Islamist fighters at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in which more than 420 people died, including 168 soldiers.

* He graduated from the Military Academy in 1970 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Administrative Sciences from the Lebanese University. He was commander of the 11th Infantry Brigade between 1993-1996, a time which witnessed two major Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.