Bannud blamed the civilian leadership in Damascus for the defeat in 1948 War, and supported the military coup of Chief-of-Staff Husni al-Zaim in March 1949 that overthrew President Shukri al-Quwatli. Bannud was appointed deputy chief-of-staff. However, he became disillusioned with al-Zaim's leadership and participated in a military coup against him on 14 August 1949. Four months later, Bannud, the commander of Aleppo garrison at the time, supported Adib Shishakli in a third successive coup in December 1949. As a reward for his loyalty, Shishakli, while preferring himself to stay behind the scenes as deputy chief-of-staff, appointed Bannud as chief-of-staff on 2 January 1950.