Report: US May Lift Block on Military Aid to Lebanon

Administration Insists Aid Is 'in the Interest of America's National Security'

The Obama Administration is said to have convinced Rep. Howard Berman (D – CA) to drop a block on all military aid to Lebanon following the completion of an extensive review of the aid already provided to the nation’s military.

Berman, who is the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, blocked the $100 million in planned aid in retaliation for a border clash between Israel and Lebanon and a number of other Congressional officials were demanding Lebanon promise that its military would not use any US-provided arms against Israeli troops, should Israel follow through on repeated threats to invade Lebanon.

Pressure to restore the aid has been on for awhile, following suggestions that the Iranian government might replace the aid, giving them closer ties to the Lebanese government.

The Obama Administration has argued that arming the Lebanese military is “in the interest of America’s national security,” which seems to be a euphemism for ensuring that the US retains its own influence within Lebanon.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.