The embassy has announced that Maj. Gen. Michael Leeney will be the new top US military official monitoring the ceasefire in Lebanon. He will replace Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, who previously held that post.
The embassy’s statement emphasized Maj. Gen. Leeney will work to support Lebanese sovereignty. It’s not clear if the timing of this replacement has anything to do with the thousands of violations of the ceasefire committed by Israel since it took effect in November.
The mention of sovereignty might suggest the US is opposed to the ongoing Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, though it has not specifically said so. Maj. Gen. Jeffers repeatedly praised Israel during the ceasefire and conspicuously never mentioned plain violations that were ongoing.
With Lebanon pressing for the US and France, the guarantors of the ceasefire, to do something about the constant violations, and Human Rights Watch last week criticizing indiscriminate Israeli attacks on civilians, the timing of the replacement will no doubt raise hope it signals a potential change from the US.
France, by contrast, has been criticizing some of the higher profile Israeli attacks, and its Foreign Ministry issued a statement today both condemning Israel’s attack on Beirut over the weekend, and calling for them to withdraw their troops from Lebanese territory.
Maj. Gen. Leeney was deployed into the Afghan War multiple times, most recently as the deputy commander of the 40th Infantry Division. He has more recently been the deputy commander for Army branch of CENTCOM, known as ARCENT.
Maj. Gen. Jeffers will reportedly remain in Lebanon as the head of Special Operations forces in the Levant, according to the embassy. They are responsible for US special operations forces in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.
