Lebanese army

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter: Hezbollah Must be Dismantled for Israel-Lebanon Peace

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, in an exclusive interview with This is Beirut, said Israel is pursuing a two-track approach that includes strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces with U.S. support so they can gradually take on Hezbollah and restore full state authority. He said Israel has no interest in remaining in Lebanon and ...

Washington Can Pressure Hezbollah, But Only Lebanon Can Disarm The Militia

As Lebanese and Israeli officials return to Washington for another round of U.S.-brokered talks, attention is focused on the diplomatic process, including the Pentagon’s security channel, the State Department’s political track and hopes that careful sequencing can address Hezbollah’s arms and prevent wider war. However, the more ...

Pentagon Talks Test Lebanon’s Commitment to Disarming Hezbollah

As Israeli strikes intensified across southern Lebanon ahead of Friday’s U.S.-mediated security talks between Lebanon and Israel at the Pentagon, expectations remained low that the Lebanese delegation could offer convincing guarantees on Hezbollah’s disarmament. Lebanon’s delegation arrived in Washington with a presentation detailing the ...

Finally, a Year of Choice for Lebanon

For the first time in decades, Lebanon has a year of choice. With the dramatic reversal of fortunes of Iran, the Assad regime, and their Lebanese proxy, Lebanon is finding long-lost freedoms. A key attribute of freedom is choice. With the restoration of sovereignty, the Lebanese face, a sovereign choice between war or peace. Since the 1980s, ...

Saudi Arabia’s Shadow Over Lebanon's Path to Peace

As Lebanon prepares for new rounds of security and political talks with Israel in Washington in the coming two weeks, Saudi Arabia’s position on peace with Jerusalem looms over decision makers in Beirut. In a May 10 interview with Al-Arabiya, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that Lebanon is open to peace with Israel within the framework ...

Escalation in Southern Lebanon Intensifies Amid Regional Diplomatic Efforts with Iran

Military activity sharply escalated in southern Lebanon on Saturday despite ongoing diplomatic signals of potential breakthroughs in regional negotiations involving Iran and the United States. The Arabic spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, issued two separate evacuation warnings covering a total of 15 towns and villages in southern ...

Two Airports, Two Realities: Beirut's Airport Under Hezbollah’s Shadow, Qlayaat Under State Control

Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny on May 19 announced the opening of bids for the public tender to operate and invest in Lebanon’s northern Rene Mouawad Airport, in a move aimed at reviving a second civilian airport after years of stagnation. The contract was awarded to Sky Lounge Services following a tender process conducted ...

U.S. Sanctions on Hezbollah and Amal's "Deep State": Implications for the Duo and the State

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on nine individuals in Lebanon accused of supporting Hezbollah and obstructing efforts to disarm the Iran-backed group, in one of Washington’s clearest moves yet to counter Hezbollah’s influence over Lebanon’s political and security institutions. The sanctions, announced by the ...

Lebanese Army Responds to U.S. Treasury Allegations Against Intelligence Officer

The Lebanese Army Command issued a statement on Friday in response to a decision released by the U.S. Department of the Treasury concerning the alleged involvement of a Lebanese Army officer in the leaking of intelligence information during the current year. The Army Command noted that it had not been notified of the matter through the ...

Lebanon Faces Defining Moment in Talks With Israel

President Joseph Aoun’s decision to engage in direct negotiations with Israel marks a strategic turning point. For the first time in years, the Lebanese state is attempting to reclaim its diplomatic sovereignty after long being subordinated to regional calculations, foremost among them Iran’s influence. The direct negotiations represent the ...

Can the Lebanese Army Move Against Hezbollah Before Washington Loses Patience?

In the windowless corridors of the Rayburn House Office Building and the high-stakes briefing rooms of Foggy Bottom, Washington’s long-standing consensus on Lebanon is fracturing. For years, U.S. policy toward the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) was treated as a "sacred cow," a low-cost investment to keep a fragile state from collapse. But as of ...

CENTCOM Pushes Lebanese Army Support as Hezbollah Supply Routes Collapse

During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing held today, Chairman Roger Wicker questioned Admiral Brad Cooper on Iran’s continued support for regional proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, amid ongoing U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Wicker stressed that Iran’s influence extends beyond its nuclear ...