Lebanon army chief to visit US Tuesday to shore up support: What to know
The Lebanese army is seeking international and regional support to boost its capabilities and enable it to continue clearing the areas in southern Lebanon as part of a disarmament plan.
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s army commander, Gen. Rodolphe Haykal, is expected to brief the Lebanese cabinet on Friday on the second phase of the army’s disarmament plan, ahead of his highly anticipated visit to Washington next week, as the Lebanese military seeks to secure continued support from Washington amid tensions with both Hezbollah and Israel.
Haykal is set to visit Washington Feb. 3-5, where he will hold political and military meetings, according to several press reports, to discuss strengthening military and security cooperation between the Lebanese army and the United States, as well as ongoing American financial and political support for the military.
The local LBCI channel reported that a delegation from the Lebanese army command traveled to Washington on Wednesday to prepare for Haykal’s upcoming trip. Senior officers from the delegation will meet with Gen. Joseph Clairfield, head of the mechanism — a committee tasked with monitoring the November 2024 ceasefire that ended the 13-month war between Israel and Hezbollah — according to Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.
Why it matters: Haykal’s visit would be his first since he assumed his post in March 2025. The army chief was expected to visit last November, but the Trump administration canceled the trip, reflecting growing frustration with Lebanon over perceived delays in the full disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
