Lebanese army chief's visit to US back on the table

Unifil commander says there is 'no evidence' of Hezbollah rebuilding its presence near border with Israel

Lebanese soldiers near the border with Israel. The US is one of the army's most important backers. Reuters

Lebanese officials have received US diplomatic messages that a visit of the army’s commander to Washington is back on the table, political and security sources in Beirut told The National.

A member of parliament involved in discussions with US envoys to Lebanon, as well as a senior security official, also said reports that Washington is preparing to completely cut off aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces are unfounded.

The US last month cancelled a visit to Washington by Lebanese army chief Gen Rodolphe Haykal after his military issued a statement publicly condemning Israeli “enemy” attacks on its territory.

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Military and security officials said the US move was intended to pressure Lebanese authorities amid growing frustration over the slow pace of Hezbollah’s disarmament. But there has since been communication about rearranging the visit.

“There is ongoing communication to prepare for Gen Haykal’s visit to Washington, after the US confusion that recently caused his trip to be obstructed,” a Lebanese MP said. “We have received US diplomatic messages indicating that the trip may happen soon,” he added.

The US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, told reporters in Beirut on Monday that “there is communication and an effort to send the commander to Washington. I think it will happen, but there is no date yet”.

Lebanon adopted an unprecedented plan to disarm Hezbollah in September and has touted significant progress south of the Litani River, the zone closest to Israel. Israel, however, accuses Beirut of moving too slowly and Hezbollah of quietly rearming.

Gen Rodolphe Haykal, centre, commands the Lebanese armed forces tasked with disarming Hezbollah. EPA

But the head of UN peacekeeping force Unifil has rejected the Israeli claims. Spanish General Diodato Abagnara told Israel’s Channel 12 he had seen “no evidence” that Hezbollah was rebuilding its presence south of the river. He described the ceasefire as “really fragile” and warned that Israel’s continued occupation of five Lebanese border points violates UN resolutions.

Despite the November 2024 ceasefire, Israel has continued to strike Lebanese territory and occupy several positions. Hezbollah, militarily weakened, has largely refrained from responding.

Pressuring Lebanon

Overnight, the Israeli army carried out further air strikes on southern Lebanon, claiming that they attacked a training compound and other Hezbollah sites, including facilities linked to the elite Radwan forces.

The US is one of the Lebanese army's most important backers, providing more than $3 billion in support over the past two decades. The policy aims to strengthen state institutions in a country where Iran-backed Hezbollah has long held military and political power.

Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber told The National last month that the military “needs support” and has been “under a lot of pressure from all the [Israeli] bombings and attacks”.

Renewed talk of Gen Haykal's visit to the US comes as local media reports claim Washington is preparing to cut aid entirely if Hezbollah’s disarmament does not speed up.

Army officials say they are implementing the disarmament plan carefully to avoid fuelling internal conflict, warning that forcing a confrontation could spark civil unrest. Hezbollah has rejected disarmament, except in the area immediately along the border.

An UN peacekeeping force armoured vehicle surveys destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon. EPA

“Talk of suspending aid is an attempt to pressure Lebanon and the army, whether Haykal’s visit takes place or not,” the Lebanese MP said. “There is no official information about any US intention to halt assistance to the army, but it is expected that some US lawmakers, who operate according to the Israeli view of Lebanon, may try to use this card.”

Civilian envoys from Lebanon and Israel have been holding direct talks on ending hostilities, with another round scheduled for next week. It is the first time civilians have led the negotiations.

Hezbollah, once a formidable regional proxy likened to a standing army, has lost much of its influence in Lebanon and the wider region due to a war with Israel that has depleted its arsenal and strained its finances. The loss of its critical foothold in Syria, following the collapse of the Bashar Al Assad regime last year, has further weakened the group.

Western and Arab diplomats have told The National that Israel and the US will not relent until Hezbollah is fully disarmed. Iran, meanwhile, has made clear that any decision regarding Hezbollah’s future must involve Tehran, which has invested tens of billions of dollars in the group since its creation by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the 1980s.