us aid to the lebanese armed forces sep 2021 - cufi

InBrief 1

Since2006theUnitedStateshasprovidedover$2.5billioninaidtotheLebaneseArmedForces(LAF).Infiscalyear2020,theUnitedStatesprovided$216millionincombinedDepartmentofStateandDepartmentofDefense(DoD)militarygrantassistance.ThesetaxpayerdollarsenabletheLAFtoprocureAmericanmilitaryweaponsandtraining.RecentesLmatesfromtheLAFsuggestthatasmuchas80%ofitsmilitaryhardwarecomesfromtheUnitesStates.Thereasoningbehindthissupportisexplainedasfollows:

The major challenge to Lebanon’s sovereignty and full governmentalcontrol comes fromthe Iranianproxy, terroristarmyHezbollah. OneofthemostpowerfulterroristorganizaLonsontheplanet,HezbollahholdsseatsintheLebaneseparliamentandcommandswhatmanyexpertsstateisthemostpowerfulfighLngforceinLebanon.ThereissignificantevidencewhichindicatesthatratherthancurtailingHezbollah’spowerbydisarmingthegroupandremovingitfromIsrael’sborder-assLpulatedbyUNresoluLonsagreedtoaWerthe2006SecondLebanonWar-theLAFhasprovedineffecLveandonmanyoccasionseven

collaboratedwithHezbollah.EvidencedemonstratesthatinsteadofUSsecurityassistancebeingusedtocombatHezbollah,itiseffecLvelygoingtowardsupporLng,facilitaLng,andstrengtheningtheterroristorganizaLon.

Coordina.on,Infiltra.onandInfluenceInAugust2020Beirutwasrockedbyamassiveexplosionthatkilledover200people,injuredover7,000anddisplacedover300,000.Whilethecauseoftheexplosionwaslinkedtoammoniumnitratebeingstoredatawarehouse,theLebanesegovernmentrejectedanexternal invesLgaLon,andtheirofficialfindings ignoredthemulLplesourcesthatlinkedtheammoniumnitratetoHezbollah.In2021,LebanonwasthrownintoapoliLcalandeconomiccrisis,withHezbollahmanipulaLngthepoliLcalsystemtoensuretheyemergedasthestrongestenLty.AsoneLebanonexpertput it,“itshouldbecleartoallobserversthattheterrorgrouprunstheLebanesepoliLcalorder.And through this government, Hezbollah will now lead Lebanon'sengagementwiththeoutsideworld. 2

Hezbollah not only controls the new government, as it did forLebanon's predecessor governments, but the group and its immediate allies also hold two-thirds of thegoverning porbolios. This gives Hezbollah and its allies effecLve control of Lebanon’s Supreme DefenseCouncil,whichoverseestheLAF.

USAidtotheLebaneseArmedForces

CH R I S T I A N S U N I T E D F O R I S R A E L

ACUFIPRIMER:

U.S.assistancefortheLAFisakeycomponentofourpolicytoreinforceLebanon’ssovereigntyandsecureitsborders,counterinternalthreats,andbuildupitslegitimatestateinstitutions.Additionally,U.S.securityassistancesupportsimplementationofUNSecurityCouncilResolutions1559,1680,and1701,andpromotestheLAF’sabilitytoextendfull

governmentalcontrolthroughoutthecountryinconjunctionwiththeUNInterimForcesinLebanon(UNIFIL).1

Members of Hezbollah stand on a pick-up truck mounted with a multiple rocket launcher as they take part in a parade

Hezbollah hold a military parade in Syria

Unsurprisingly, Hezbollah has conLnued to significantly increase its sway over the Lebanese army. TheylaunchedjointoperaLonsagainsttheIslamicStatein2013andnowHezbollahandtheLAFengageinregularcoordinaLon. They exchange intelligence and conduct joint operaLons where Hezbollah is effecLvely incommand – such as in 2016-2017 operaLons against the Islamic State in northeast Lebanon. Inmilitaryparades in2016,Hezbollah itselfshowedoffUS-madearmoredpersonnelcarriers,presumablytakenfromtheLebanesemilitary. 3

The IDF revealed in September 2018 that Hezbollah and the Lebanese army are operaLng together insouthern Lebanon, and Hezbollah operaLves someLmeswear Lebanese army uniforms. This cooperaLonevenincludespatrolsinsharedpatrolvehicles.TherehavebeennumerousreportsofHezbollahfightersandagents infiltraLngtheranksof theLebanesemilitaryasbothsoldiersandofficers.3Infact,itwasdiscoveredthataseniorLAFunitcommanderstaLonedontheLebanese-IsraeliborderwasinfactamemberofHezbollah.The Lebanese army never enters a village in southern Lebanon without permission from Hezbollah. TheLebanesearmy is thereforeapartner in the violaLonofUNSecurityCouncil ResoluLon1701,whichbarsHezbollah frompuengforcessouthof theLitaniRiverandgives theLebanesearmytheexclusiveright tokeepmilitaryforcesinsouthernLebanon.In December 2018 Israel uncovered terror tunnels dug by Hezbollahunder the Israeli-Lebanese border. The Lebanesemilitary clearly hasnot fulfilled the mission assigned to it in several UN resoluLons: toenforcetheprohibiLononHezbollah’spresenceinsouthernLebanon.SourceswithintheUNpeacekeepingforceevenaccusedtheLebanesearmyin2018ofhelpingHezbollahviolatetheresoluLonbyprevenLngtheUNinspectorsfromreachingthebordervillagesinwhichtheorganizaLonhidesitsweapons.InAugust2021overathree-dayperiodHezbollahfiredmulLplerocketsat Israel, towhich Israel respondedwitharLllery strikes.The fact thatHezbollahwasabletofireseveralrocketsoverthecourseofafewdaysdemonstrates,onceagain,thattheLAFhaveneitherthedesirenorthewilltodisarmHezbollah.

FailuretoDisarmHezbollahAccordingtotheJerusalemInsLtuteforStrategyandSecurity:WesternintelligencesourcesrevealedinJuly,August,andOctober2018thatIran’sIslamicRevoluSonaryGuardCorps(IRGC)hadsmuggledweaponsandadvancedmilitarysystems,includingtechnologyenablingGPSguidedmissilesand rockets, into Lebanon. TheweaponsandequipmentweredeliveredonflightscarriedoutbytheIraniancivilianairlineQeshmAir,knownforitsSestotheIRGCQudsforces,toBeirutInternaSonalAirport,controlledbytheLebanesearmy. 4

RatherthanworkingtodisarmHezbollah,theLAFseemstobecompletelyunwillingtoactagainstthegroupas it rearms with more sophisLcated weaponry from Iran. In general, the LAF has been completelyineffecLve, as Hezbollah has conLnued to grow and update itsmilitaryarsenal.In late September of 2021, in response to Lebanon’s precariouseconomicsituaLonandfuelshortages,Hezbollahcircumventedthegovernment,withoutstateauthorizaLonanddespiteUnitedStatessancLons,andarranged fora shipmentof Iranian fuel toLebanon.Thisconsecrated theparty’s statusas themainpowerhouse in thecrisis-ladencountry.

Irans Fars Air Qeshm cargo plane

Hezbollah missile launchers

Thenewly formedLebanesegovernment,headedbyprimeministerNajibMikaL,describedtheHezbollahdelivery as “a violaLon of Lebanese sovereignty,” but the government has shown it is powerless to stopHezbollahwhen the terrorist group is doingno less thanessenLally tramplesupon Lebanese sovereignty.

ConclusionInsteadofbeingusedtoaidtheLAFinreinforcingitsbordersandsafeguardingitssovereigntyasenvisionedbytheStateDepartment,USaidisbeingusedtoaidandabettheveryterroristorganizaLonthatthreatensLebanon’ssovereignty.TheLAFhasshownnowilltodisruptHezbollahoperaLonsortoenforcetheUNresoluLonsdemandingHezbollah’sdisarmament.ThispowerfulIranianproxyisacLngwithimpunityonLebanon’sborderswhiletheLAFatbestsitsidlybyandatworstsupportsapowerfulanL-American,anL-Israel,IranianfundedterrororganizaLon,allthewhilereceivingmillionsinAmericantaxpayerdollars.

_______________________U.S.SecurityCooperationWithLebanonFactSheet,(May212019),StateDepartmenthkps://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperaLon-with-1

lebanon/Lebanon’snewHezbollahgovernment.(2021,September16).Newsweek.hkps://www.newsweek.com/lebanons-new-hezbollah-2

government-opinion-1629346Kershner,I.,&Hubbard,B.(2016,December21).HezbollahIsUsingU.S.-MadeMilitaryVehiclesinSyria,IsraelSays.TheNewYork3

Times.hkps://www.nyLmes.com/2016/12/21/world/middleeast/hezbollah-us-made-apc-syria-lebanon.htmlU.S.SecurityCooperationWithLebanonFactSheet,(May212019),StateDepartmenthkps://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperaLon-with-4

lebanon/

Update:September2021