Threat of Hezbollah’s weapons for Lebanon, region highlighted.
President Michel Aoun (R) meeting with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General Kenneth F. McKenzie at the presidential palace in Baabda, July 8. (AP)
BEIRUT –The visit of US Central Command chief General Kenneth F. McKenzie to Lebanon on Wednesday carried several messages, especially regarding the role of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the mounting pressures in the US Congress to cut aid to the Lebanese army.
It was McKenzie’s fourth visit to Lebanon since 2019.
On Wednesday, he met with Lebanese military and political officials, led by President Michel Aoun, who praised military cooperation between the two countries and called for further development.
McKenzie’s one-day visit coincided with the approaching third anniversary of the operation launched by the Lebanese army against ISIS in the border area with Syria.
Aoun praised the support provided by the United States to the Lebanese army in that campaign. McKenzie also stressed the continued support of the US military leadership to the Lebanese army. He pointed to the Lebanese army’s distinct capabilities in various combat and training levels, as reinforced by good, continuous training.
Political sources say that McKenzie’s visit stressed the importance of continued US cooperation with the Lebanese army, sending a clear message that Washington has no intention of cutting aid to Lebanon’s military, at least not in the short run, despite the controversy in Congress. McKenzie is perceived as one of the most reserved voices about calls by some White House hawks and Republicans in Congress to cut aid to the Lebanese army. He had announced last June that he was against stopping that aid, stressing that the US’s relationship with the Lebanese military is important “to balance the capabilities of the Hezbollah militia.”
Hezbollah, which is classified as a terrorist organisation by the United States and other Western and Arab countries, has kept its hold on Lebanon’s internal politics with the help of its military arsenal. The pro-Iran party has managed in recent years to bolster that arsenal; and intelligence reports say it now has precision weapons in its possession.
Some US analysts believe that continued support for the Lebanese army cannot bear fruit considering the growing strength and influence of Hezbollah. They also note that the Lebanese army has previously cooperated with Hezbollah in several situations, the last of which was on the Syrian-Lebanese border. The Lebanese army, in fact, is accused of turning a blind eye to Hezbollah’s activities. For that reason, some in the US say it is necessary to put an end to US support. An initiative supported by Republican Senator Ted Cruz proposed withholding 20% of US military assistance to the Lebanese army unless Aoun is able to demonstrate that he is taking the necessary steps to end Hezbollah’s influence.
During his meeting Wednesday with Aoun, McKenzie is said to have focused on the risks posed by Hezbollah’s continued wielding of weapons. This poses a particular problem for Lebanon as it seeks assistance from reluctant international lenders in order to weather the stifling financial and economic crisis that could lead to its collapse.
This crisis has recently extended to the Lebanese army, which announced its decision to remove meat from soldier’s food menu as part of austerity measures.
Aoun, who also serves as commander in chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, is one of Hezbollah’s most prominent political allies, and has repeatedly defended the party in regional and international forums, making it difficult to believe that he and his party, the Free Patriotic Movement, can make any real moves to pressure Hezbollah over its possession of weapons.
Observers say that Hezbollah’s weapons constitute an issue that transcends its obvious local dimension and effects regional and international levels. Cutting aid to the Lebanese army may have adverse effects, they say, as Hezbollah could use the measure to argue that Lebanon is battling a conspiracy targeting not only the “axis of resistance,” but Lebanon and the Lebanese people.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Tuesday evening on the party’s Al-Manar TV channel that “the policy pursued by America towards Lebanon now is the policy of siege and sanctions, which will not weaken Hezbollah but rather strengthen it and weaken America’s allies.”
Nasrallah reiterated his call for the Lebanese state to diversify its foreign options by shifting east. He offered to help Lebanese authorities import oil and its derivatives from Iran with payment in Lebanese pounds. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo replied that the US strives to “prevent Iran from selling crude oil to Hezbollah.” He called on all countries to classify the pro-Iran party as a terrorist organisation.
McKenzie’s visit to Beirut, a big recipient of US military aid, comes after Hezbollah stepped up criticism of US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea on Tuesday, accusing her of blatant interference in Lebanese affairs.
A US Embassy statement said McKenzie “reaffirmed the importance of preserving Lebanon’s security, stability, and sovereignty…”
Several dozen protesters, some waving Hezbollah flags, gathered at Beirut airport in a protest that the group’s al-Manar TV said carried several messages against Washington.
These included a rejection of a US Embassy plan to hold a memorial for 241 US service personnel killed in 1983 by a bomb attack in Beirut during McKenzie’s visit, an al-Manar broadcaster said.
