Delivery of Another Batch of US Military Aid to Lebanon

On Tuesday, August 9, the United States delivered 50 armored vehicles, 40 artillery pieces, and 50 grenade launchers to the Lebanese army. This military aid is part of the US policy to strengthen the Lebanese army against the threat of extremist groups in Syria. According to Reuters, these weapons, valued at $50 million, are part of the $220 million in military assistance the US has provided to Lebanon this year. Elizabeth Richard, the US ambassador to Lebanon, stated during the delivery of these weapons that Lebanon is now ranked fifth among countries receiving military assistance from the US. The battle between the group known as the 'Islamic State' and other armed Islamist groups in Syrian territory often spills over into the mountainous areas along the northern borders of Lebanon with Syria, and in some cases, these conflicts have crossed into Lebanese territory. Last month, eight suicide bombers affiliated with the 'Islamic State' attacked a Christian village in Lebanon near the Syrian border, resulting in five deaths and raising concerns about the onset of a new campaign of such attacks. Fighters from the 'Islamic State' and other extremist groups regularly cross the border between Syria and Lebanon near the town of Arsal in northern Lebanon. In 2014, they briefly captured this town, but the Lebanese army was able to drive them out of the area. Reuters reminds us that the central government of Lebanon is very weak, and several countries are assisting the Lebanese army as a factor against the spread of instability in the country. Currently, about a quarter of Lebanon's resident population consists of Syrian refugees. This year, Saudi Arabia, a long-time supporter of the central government in Lebanon, suspended its $3 billion in aid to the Lebanese armed forces due to what it perceives as increasing ties between Beirut and the Iranian government. Lebanon, which was embroiled in a civil war from 1975 to 1990 due to sectarian and ethnic hostilities, has been heavily influenced by the Syrian government. Hezbollah, which is supported by the Iranian government, has been fighting alongside the Syrian army in that country's civil war since 2013.