Senate bill adds restrictions on US effort to train Lebanon army: What to know
Lawmakers want to know the number of Lebanese special forces recruits, their equipment and religious background as part of a planned $36 million DOD train-and-equip project aimed at dismantling Hezbollah.
WASHINGTON — The US Senate’s version of next year’s defense spending bill includes a list of new restrictions on the Pentagon’s plans to support Lebanon’s armed forces as they move to disarm Hezbollah.
The bill — released this week from committee and currently being debated on the Senate floor — would restrict the Defense Department’s total funds to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to only the $36 million sought in the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget request. The Pentagon requested that amount earlier this year for plans to train and equip vetted LAF units to go after Hezbollah, Al-Monitor and other outlets previously reported.
No more than 5% of those US funds — or $1.8 million — would be allocated until the Pentagon certifies to Congress’ defense committees that Lebanon’s military is working to completely disarm the militant faction in order to prevent its attacks in neighboring countries while actively denying attempts by Iran to send weapons and financial support to Hezbollah.
Earlier this year, in March, Lebanon’s Council of Ministers formally declared Hezbollah’s military wing illegal, although the group is believed to retain most of its arms and still exists as an active political party.
