Swordsmyth
06-05-2018, 01:09 AM
Last month, following the first Lebanese elections since 2009, Israel's defense minister made a grave observation. Speaking at an annual conference in Herzliya, Avigdor Lieberman (https://www.timesofisrael.com/liberman-says-lebanon-now-under-complete-control-of-hezbollah/) said that Hezbollah – the Iran-backed militia, political party and terror group – had effectively taken control of the state.
To emphasize the point, Lieberman added that Hezbollah was now "in complete control not just of the Lebanese [government], but also its army."
Hezbollah's influence in Lebanon is nothing new. It has steadily enhanced its position and legitimacy inside Beirut over the last decade. The May 9 elections though consolidated its power because the main bloc that opposed Iranian and Syrian influence underperformed.
All of this poses a peculiar challenge for America. Since 2007, the U.S. has provided $1.7 billion worth of aid and equipment to the Lebanese Armed Forces, or LAF.
Usually American military aid is a win-win. The recipient nation receives training, weapons and material, and the U.S. gets leverage and visibility into a foreign military. This is why the annual U.S. military subsidy to Egypt created as a byproduct of Egypt's 1978 peace treaty with Israel was such a strategic coup for America; it meant the U.S. replaced the Soviet Union as the patron of Egypt's powerful army.
In the case of Lebanon, the record of military assistance is mixed at best. U.S. military leaders have praised the relationship in recent years, assuring Congress (https://www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/fs/2018/282037.htm) for example that U.S. equipment has not ended up in the hands of Hezbollah. In February, the head of U.S. Central Command, General Joseph Votel (http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2018/Feb-01/436358-special-forces-are-in-lebanon-only-to-support-army-votel.ashx), publicly acknowledged for the first time that American special operations forces work alongside the LAF. The LAF has fought valiantly against Sunni jihadis like the Islamic State.
Many in Congress (http://freebeacon.com/national-security/u-s-personnel-embedded-lebanese-forces-raising-concern-hezbollah-penetration/) however take the view of Lieberman, and are ready to write off the U.S. relationship with the LAF, particularly because Hezbollah's arsenal in southern Lebanon has grown while the U.S. has supported the LAF over three administrations.
The original goal of America's aid to Lebanon's military, during the George W. Bush administration, was to help the LAF implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which requires the military to disarm Lebanon's militias. In the last 11 years, the LAF has made zero progress in disarming the most important of those militias, Hezbollah.
One lawmaker demanding accountability is Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Last month he attached an amendment to the Senate defense authorization bill requiring the Pentagon and the State Department to assess how well the LAF is meeting the terms of that resolution. It was a compromise for Cruz, who initially wanted to end the U.S. funding altogether, according to Senate and Pentagon officials. It is nonetheless significant.
More at: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-06-04/u-s-military-aid-to-lebanon-the-pentagon-must-come-clean
To emphasize the point, Lieberman added that Hezbollah was now "in complete control not just of the Lebanese [government], but also its army."
Hezbollah's influence in Lebanon is nothing new. It has steadily enhanced its position and legitimacy inside Beirut over the last decade. The May 9 elections though consolidated its power because the main bloc that opposed Iranian and Syrian influence underperformed.
All of this poses a peculiar challenge for America. Since 2007, the U.S. has provided $1.7 billion worth of aid and equipment to the Lebanese Armed Forces, or LAF.
Usually American military aid is a win-win. The recipient nation receives training, weapons and material, and the U.S. gets leverage and visibility into a foreign military. This is why the annual U.S. military subsidy to Egypt created as a byproduct of Egypt's 1978 peace treaty with Israel was such a strategic coup for America; it meant the U.S. replaced the Soviet Union as the patron of Egypt's powerful army.
In the case of Lebanon, the record of military assistance is mixed at best. U.S. military leaders have praised the relationship in recent years, assuring Congress (https://www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/fs/2018/282037.htm) for example that U.S. equipment has not ended up in the hands of Hezbollah. In February, the head of U.S. Central Command, General Joseph Votel (http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2018/Feb-01/436358-special-forces-are-in-lebanon-only-to-support-army-votel.ashx), publicly acknowledged for the first time that American special operations forces work alongside the LAF. The LAF has fought valiantly against Sunni jihadis like the Islamic State.
Many in Congress (http://freebeacon.com/national-security/u-s-personnel-embedded-lebanese-forces-raising-concern-hezbollah-penetration/) however take the view of Lieberman, and are ready to write off the U.S. relationship with the LAF, particularly because Hezbollah's arsenal in southern Lebanon has grown while the U.S. has supported the LAF over three administrations.
The original goal of America's aid to Lebanon's military, during the George W. Bush administration, was to help the LAF implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which requires the military to disarm Lebanon's militias. In the last 11 years, the LAF has made zero progress in disarming the most important of those militias, Hezbollah.
One lawmaker demanding accountability is Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Last month he attached an amendment to the Senate defense authorization bill requiring the Pentagon and the State Department to assess how well the LAF is meeting the terms of that resolution. It was a compromise for Cruz, who initially wanted to end the U.S. funding altogether, according to Senate and Pentagon officials. It is nonetheless significant.
More at: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-06-04/u-s-military-aid-to-lebanon-the-pentagon-must-come-clean