US diverts $95m of military aid from Egypt to Lebanon
$95 million of US military aid will be redirected from Egypt to Lebanon to support the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and maintain the ceasefire agreement with Israel, the Middle East Monitor via Anadolu Agency reported on January 4th.
The funds are believed to be used to equip the LAF with the resources to enforce state control, particularly in southern Lebanon, following the fourteen-month war between Hezbollah and Israel. The State Department called the LAF “a key partner” in preventing Hezbollah from threatening the occupation state and bolstering Lebanese sovereignty.
Israel went to war with Hezbollah on October 8th, 2023, resulting in the decimation of the Hezbollah group. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, “at least 4,063 people have been killed… since Israel’s offensive against Lebanon began”, reported by the Middle East Monitor.
On November 27th, 2024, a ceasefire agreement between the two went into effect.
READ: US to shift military aid from Egypt to Lebanon
The terms of the ceasefire included Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon within 60 days, in exchange for Hezbollah’s complete withdrawal to the north of the Litani River. It was expected that as the two forces withdraw, the LAF would take their place as a security force. The US has already given funds to the LAF but the latest diversion of military funds marks a huge increase in western support for the maintenance of the ceasefire and a the de-escalation in violence in the region.
Israel hoped their citizens would be able to return to northern Israel with Hezbollah removed from the other side of the border.
However, the Middle East Monitor also reported that Israeli authorities are preparing to notify the US of their intention to remain in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day timeframe. They added “The Lebanese Army has not targeted Hezbollah sites that Israel identified and shared through a designated mechanism established for this purpose.”
However, Lebanese officials have also documented 353 violations by Israel since the ceasefire was signed.
The effects of increased US military aid to the Lebanese forces remain to be seen, with some analysts claiming the ceasefire is on the verge of collapse.
Middle East Monitor via Anadolu Agency
