The US Department of War (DOW) has announced a new $14.2 million security assistance package for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), aimed at strengthening the country’s ability to dismantle weapons stockpiles and military infrastructure belonging to non-state groups, particularly Hezbollah.
The package, funded through the Presidential Drawdown Authority, will provide the LAF with demolition equipment such as shaped charges, blasting caps, detonating cords, and time fuses, alongside generators, transportation vehicles, and other support gear. US officials said the assistance is intended to enhance the army’s capacity to carry out patrols, dispose of unexploded ordnance, and neutralize weapons caches.
“This package will build the capability and capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces to dismantle weapons caches and military infrastructure of non-state groups, including Hezbollah,” the Pentagon said in a statement on Wednesday.
The aid comes as Lebanon moves forward with a plan to enforce state control over all weapons inside Lebanon. The US Department of War described its support as part of Washington’s broader strategy to counter Iranian-backed militant organizations across the region.
According to the Pentagon, the newly approved package will help the Lebanese military implement the terms of the ceasefire and reinforce the state’s authority in a country long destabilized by armed non-state actors.
“Through this package, the DOW is empowering the Lebanese Armed Forces to degrade Hezbollah, in alignment with the administration’s priority to counter Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the region,” the statement added.
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