Pentagon approves $14.2 million aid to help Lebanon disarm Hezbollah

The Trump administration has authorised an assistance package valued at $14.2 million to support Lebanon in its efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the U.S. Defence Department announced on September 10.

The package, provided under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, will equip the Lebanese military to seize and dismantle weapons held by non-state actors, including Hezbollah, Caliber.Az reports, referring to foreign media.

On September 12, the Lebanese government welcomed a plan put forward by its army to disarm the Iran-backed group. This development followed the Cabinet’s approval of a U.S. proposal directing the Lebanese military to establish a state monopoly on weapons by the end of the year.

According to a Pentagon statement, the funds will enable the Lebanese Armed Forces to conduct patrols and dispose of unexploded ordnance. The Defence Department added that through this package, Washington is “empowering” the Lebanese military to “degrade Hezbollah in alignment with the administration’s priority to counter Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the region.”

During a Cabinet session last week, attended by military officials, the five Shiite ministers — four of them representing Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement — walked out in protest against the disarmament plan. They argued that any initiative to strip Hezbollah of its weapons must begin with broader discussions on a national defence strategy to safeguard Lebanon.

As stipulated in the November 27 cease-fire agreement that ended the 14-month conflict between Lebanon and Hezbollah, all sides had agreed to launch talks on a national defence strategy. Hezbollah, however, rejected government attempts to set a fixed deadline for disarmament.

By Tamilla Hasanova