U.S. Approves $230 Million Package to Lebanese Security Forces After Pledge To Disarm Hezbollah

Latest Developments

Aid Package for Beirut: The United States reportedly approved a $230 million aid package for Lebanon’s security forces after the state vowed to disarm nonstate armed groups, including the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization. Sources told Reutersthat the funding was split between the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), with $190 million, and the Internal Security Forces (ISF), with $40 million. The State Department noted that U.S. assistance supports Lebanese troops “as they work to assert Lebanese sovereignty across the country and fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the only viable framework for a durable security arrangement for both [the] Lebanese and Israelis.”
Second Security Package in a Month: The substantial military assistance followed a separate $14.2 million Presidential Drawdown Authority security package for Lebanon, announced by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) on September 10. That package included equipment aimed at building “the capability and capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to dismantle weapons caches and military infrastructure of non-state groups, including [Iran’s terrorist proxy] Hezbollah,” according to a DOD statement.
LAF’s Plan Not Yet Implemented: The Lebanese government, said that it had welcomed an LAF-proposed plan for Hezbollah’s disarmament, which was presented during a cabinet meeting on September 5. Nevertheless, the government did not approve a timeline for the plan’s implementation, keeping its details “secret,” according to Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos. “The Lebanese army will begin implementing the [Hezbollah disarmament] plan, but in accordance with the available capabilities, which are limited in terms of logistics, material, and human resources,” Morcos said after the cabinet meeting.

FDD Expert Response

“Continued aid to LAF must be preconditioned on demonstrable action, not precede it based on mere promises or hopes that the Lebanese Army will confront Hezbollah. Funding for the LAF must not proceed until the Lebanese government formally adopts — not merely ‘welcomes’ — the plan to disarm Hezbollah and the LAF undertakes real and concrete actions to disarm the group even over Hezbollah’s objections.” — David Daoud, Senior Fellow

“To date, all we know about the Lebanese state’s plan to disarm Hezbollah is that a proposal was presented to the cabinet in early September that was ‘welcomed’ but never formally adopted. It would have been wiser to wait until the LAF actually took steps against Hezbollah’s weapons before approving this level of aid. Granted, the LAF has managed to confiscate large quantities of arms from Palestinian factions in Lebanon, but Hezbollah is an entirely different challenge.” — Ahmad Sharawi, Research Analyst

“U.S. financial support for the LAF and ISF underscores Washington’s tentative approval of Beirut’s early moves to confront Hezbollah. But these are only initial gestures on what remains a long and fraught path toward the group’s disarmament. If Lebanon expects continued American financial assistance, it must recognize that half measures will not suffice. The Trump administration is unlikely to bankroll an incomplete effort; only a decisive commitment and action to dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons will sustain U.S. backing in the long term.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal