US DIVERTS $95M IN MILITARY AID FROM EGYPT TO LEBANON

Wed 08 January 2025:

The US will redirect to Lebanon $95 million in military aid previously allocated to Egypt, propping up the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) amid ongoing tensions with resistance movement Hezbollah and efforts to maintain a ceasefire with Israel, according to US officials.

A source familiar with the matter told Al Arabiya that the funds are part of a broader plan to equip the LAF with the $400m needed to enforce state control, particularly in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah has a well-established presence.

US envoy Amos Hochstein chaired a meeting recently in Naqoura, where Israeli forces began withdrawing under the November 2024 Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement. The LAF has since deployed to these areas, aiming to assume control over territory and weapons depots previously held by Hezbollah.

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The State Department called the LAF “a key partner” in preventing Hezbollah from threatening the occupation state and bolstering Lebanese sovereignty. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the need for ongoing support to Beirut’s “legitimate security institutions” during talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan.

On the movement’s popular legitimacy, an article published yesterday by Palestine Chronicle notes that, “The Lebanese resistance gains both political legitimacy and legal validity, primarily due to the existence of the Israeli threat. It also derives its legitimacy as a representation of the people’s will — or a part of the people’s will — to stand against the Israeli enemy.”

Critics argue that the LAF has yet to counter Hezbollah’s dominance over Lebanese governance adequately. Earlier last year, it received a $25m donation from the US to enhance its maritime capabilities, according to US Ambassador Lisa Johnson.

The Biden administration’s decision follows mounting concerns from Congress over Egypt’s human rights record, including mass political arrests, although Washington granted Cairo its full $1.3 billion in military aid in September.

Lebanon’s reliance on US aid, however, has been criticised for enabling a one-sided relationship marked by compliance with Washington’s directives, including controversial foreign activities on Lebanese soil.

-MEMO

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