US shifts over $100M in military aid from Israel, Egypt to Lebanon

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration in its final days is shifting more than $100 million in military aid from Israel and Egypt to Lebanon as it tries to bolster a ceasefire agreement it helped mediate between Israel and Hezbollah.

In separate notices sent to Congress, the State Department said it was moving $95 million in military assistance intended for Egypt and $7.5 million for Israel toward supporting the Lebanese army and its government. The notices were dated Jan. 3 and obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Most of the money will go to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which have a critical role in standing up the ceasefire that was agreed to in November following an all-out war that battered much of southern and eastern Lebanon for two months.

It is intended to help the LAF deploy in the south of the country and supplement the role of the U.N. peacekeeping mission patrolling the so-called Blue Line, which has separated Israel and Lebanon since the end of a 2006 war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

“Successful implementation [of the ceasefire] will require an empowered LAF, which will need robust assistance from the United States and other partners,” the State Department said in the notices, both of which used nearly identical language to explain the funding shifts.

Both Israel and Hezbollah agreed to pull their forces out of southern Lebanon before the end of January, with compliance to be overseen by the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers.

“U.S. security assistance to the LAF increases its capacity as the country’s only legitimate military force and defender of Lebanon’s territorial integrity, enables the LAF to prevent potential destabilization from ISIS and other terrorist groups, and enables the LAF to provide security both for the Lebanese people and for U.S. personnel,” the State Department said.

Critics of U.S. assistance to the Lebanese military have often complained that it has been infiltrated by Hezbollah, but the notices rejected that claim.

“U.S. support to the LAF reinforces the LAF as an important institutional counterweight to Hezbollah, which receives weapons, training, and financial support from Iran,” the State Department said. “The LAF continues to be an independent, non-sectarian institution in Lebanon, and is respected across all sectors.”

In a third notice, also sent to Congress on Jan. 3, the department said it was going to provide $15 million to Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces to ensure that they become the primary law enforcement entity in the country and assist the LAF in controlling areas in the south.

That money will primarily be used to rebuild police stations, improve radio communications and purchase vehicles, the notice said.

The third notice also informed lawmakers that the administration would provide $3.06 million to the Palestinian Authority police to support its operations in the West Bank and $2.5 million to Jordan’s Public Security Directorate to support its response to public demonstrations.

华盛顿——拜登政府在任期即将结束之际，正将超过 1 亿美元的军事援助从以色列和埃及转移到黎巴嫩，以期加强其帮助斡旋的以色列和真主党之间的停火协议。

美国国务院分别向国会发出通知称，将把原计划用于援助埃及的9500万美元军事援助和原计划用于援助以色列的750万美元军事援助，转而支持黎巴嫩军队及其政府。这两份通知的日期为1月3日，美联社于周二获得了这些文件。

大部分资金将用于黎巴嫩武装部队，该部队在维护去年 11 月达成的停火协议中发挥着至关重要的作用。此前，黎巴嫩南部和东部大部分地区经历了长达两个月的全面战争。

其目的是帮助黎巴嫩武装部队部署到该国南部，并补充联合国维和部队在所谓的“蓝线”上巡逻的作用。“蓝线”自 2006 年以色列与真主党武装组织之间的战争结束以来，一直将以色列和黎巴嫩分隔开来。

“成功实施（停火）需要一支强大的黎巴嫩武装部队，而这需要美国和其他伙伴的大力援助，”美国国务院在通知中表示。这两份通知使用了几乎相同的措辞来解释资金转移。

以色列和真主党都同意在1月底之前将其部队撤出黎巴嫩南部，黎巴嫩军队和联合国维和部队将监督执行情况。

美国国务院表示：“美国对黎巴嫩武装部队的安全援​​助增强了其作为该国唯一合法军事力量和黎巴嫩领土完整捍卫者的能力，使黎巴嫩武装部队能够防止伊斯兰国和其他恐怖组织造成潜在的不稳定，并使黎巴嫩武装部队能够为黎巴嫩人民和美国人员提供安全保障。”

批评美国援助黎巴嫩军队的人士经常抱怨说，真主党已经渗透其中，但这些通知驳斥了这种说法。

美国国务院表示：“美国对黎巴嫩武装部队的支持，巩固了黎巴嫩武装部队作为制衡真主党的重要机构力量的地位。真主党从伊朗获得武器、训练和财政支持。黎巴嫩武装部队仍然是黎巴嫩一个独立、非宗派的机构，并在各界受到尊重。”

在1月3日向国会发出的第三份通知中，该部门表示将向黎巴嫩内部安全部队提供1500万美元，以确保其成为该国的主要执法机构，并协助黎巴嫩武装部队控制南部地区。

公告称，这笔资金将主要用于重建警察局、改善无线电通讯和购买车辆。

第三份通知还告知立法者，美国政府将向巴勒斯坦权力机构警察提供 306 万美元，以支持其在西岸的行动；并向约旦公共安全局提供 250 万美元，以支持其应对公众示威活动。