US Approves $230M Aid for Lebanon Forces

The Trump administration approved $230 million in aid for Lebanon’s security forces—$190 million for the Lebanese Armed Forces and $40 million for the Internal Security Forces—released just before the U.S. fiscal year ended on Sept. 30. U.S. and Lebanese officials say the package is intended to bolster those forces as they push to disarm Hezbollah, assert Lebanese sovereignty and implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 amid the Gaza conflict. President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have asked the army to devise a plan to place all weapons under state control by the end of the year, though Hezbollah has resisted disarmament and is reported to have hidden heavier missiles and drones. Officials say the funding would let the Internal Security Forces assume internal security duties so the LAF can focus on border defense and counterterrorism. The release drew attention because it came as the administration was cutting foreign assistance overall, while the State Department said the aid supports a durable security arrangement for both Lebanon and Israel.