Retired Lebanese armed forces general Maroun Hitti said that Hezbollah’s missiles has “instantly transformed Lebanon from fragile bystander to active battlefield,” describing the situations as “harsh and asymmetric.”
"The bigger picture is that Lebanon is [disarming Hezbollah] in a phased approach, which might take two years or three years, and Israel, possibly backed by the US, wants it done much quicker, right away," one analyst told Breaking Defense.
Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.
A French source told Breaking Defense the meeting is expected take place before the end of 2025 and will gather several countries, including Gulf and Arab states, European states, commonwealth countries and the US.
The package "will provide the [Lebanese Armed Forces] with capabilities to conduct patrols and safely remove and dispose of deadly unexploded ordnance (UXO) and Hizballah weapons caches," the Pentagon announced.
"Your answer is not UNIFIL," US Special Envoy Tom Barrack said.
“The Department approved an exception to expend the $95 million of FMF recently reprogrammed to Lebanon. We are working with our DoD colleagues to move forward with the implementation of these funds,” a State Department Spokesperson told Breaking Defense Tuesday.
Breaking Defense Europe will launch May 4 with Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo as co-editors.
Foreign Military Financing is one of the pots of money caught up in the State Department's current hold on foreign assistance.
“We have collectively raised $800 million in humanitarian aid and $200 million for the security forces," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
A French official told Breaking Defense that Paris "must be ready" to aid Beirut should it attempt a historic deployment to secure Lebanon's southern border, where Hezbollah could play spoiler.
The visit of the Choctaw County is meant to signal support for Lebanon's government - and especially its Navy, analysts say.
As threats rapidly evolve, digital engineering, manufacturing capacity and robust supply chains are critical to meeting challenges.
Unlike previous conferences designed to provide training, weapons or military hardware, the meeting was centered on finding ways to bolster the cohesion, resilience, and stability of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
While U.S. increases FMF to $120-million, France prepares international conference to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces whose budget was wiped out by collapse of country’s economy.
The US just gave the Lebanese Army three Huey II multi-mission helicopters and will also donate six brand new MD-530 light scout attack choppers.