Lebanon and Britain are to hold three weeks of military drills beginning on Tuesday, as European countries try to build the Lebanese army into a cornerstone of peace with Israel.
The exercise, known as Pegasus Cedar 2026, will see troops from the Royal Regiment of Scotland train with an air assault team from the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The drills will include reconnaissance, and urban warfare training, helicopter operations, and mortar fire exercises, the Lebanese army said. Six other countries including the US, Qatar and Jordan will also be involved.
The British troops have been posted in a base in Cyprus for the first such drills since the Hamas attack on Israel sparked a regional war in 2023.
Lebanon has repeatedly been caught up in the war due to Hezbollah and Israel exchanging fire on its soil. Israeli troops occupy a large part of southern Lebanon after ordering its residents to leave and demolishing homes and villages.
A US-backed peace process calls for the Lebanese army to gradually reassert control and disarm Hezbollah in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal. But there are doubts whether the poorly funded and equipped Lebanese army is up to the task.
The British forces “will train with their Lebanese counterparts to hone skills and exchange military expertise", said the UK's ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell.
“British military training teams continue to work alongside all branches of the Lebanese military – army, navy and air force – to support them in their essential roles and building the Lebanese Armed Forces’ capabilities as the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon.”
Lt Gen Charles Collins, Britain's deputy chief of the defence staff, also visited Beirut for talks on the security situation in southern Lebanon. He met Lebanese army chief Gen Rodolphe Haykal.
There are several European efforts planned to assist the Lebanese army. France hosted a meeting of European, Arab and US military officials in Paris last month, where Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, a former general, called for a “long-term partnership”.
Mr Aoun is also pushing for a replacement for the UN peacekeeping force Unifil, the mandate of which expires this year.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told The National last week that his country was involved in preparations for a new force.
