General Rodolphe Haykal, commander of the LAF, met with officials in Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Monday during the World Defense Show.
The meeting occurred in preparation for the upcoming March 5 French-Saudi-led conference in Paris to garner support for the LAF.
Haykal’s dialogue with Saudi officials was carried out to discuss avenues for cooperation amid regional developments, chiefly the LAF’s role in counterterrorism and targeting illicit smuggling networks as it increases its operational capabilities across Lebanese territory.
The Saudi visit occurred following a series of meetings in Washington between Haykal and various U.S. officials to discuss ongoing U.S. support, which showed mixed results. Some leaders were not satisfied with Haykal’s cautious positioning, including Senator Lindsay Graham who cut their meeting short after Haykal stated that Hezbollah was not a terrorist group “in the context of Lebanon.”
Many Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, have conditioned investment in Lebanon with the complete disarmament of Hezbollah. Since the Lebanese state declared full operational control over southern Lebanon last month, greater momentum has been seen on Gulf-Lebanese relations, including a $480 million pledge to reconstruction from Qatar last month.
Haykal’s rounds of visits to key partners in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia reflect the deepening and more serious partnerships in which the LAF is partaking as the army continues its pursuit for Lebanese sovereignty.
Haykal’s round of visits to key partners in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia reflects the high-stakes balancing act that the LAF must navigate. The army has sought to secure the support required to be able to manage internal stability and consolidate the Lebanese state’s control by addressing demands for Hezbollah disarmament while considering the fragile reality on the ground.
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