US equipping Lebanese army

Dec. 1. 2008

But why? The United States is supplying military equipment to the Lebanese army despite its largely Shiite make up and sympathy to terrorist group Hizballah, also Shiite. (HT to Israel Matzav for noting this issue).

Several months ago, I spoke with Jonathan Spyer, a senior research fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs Center in Herzliyah, and expert on Lebanon. He said, as it stands, Lebanon is effectively a Hizballah state. Ergo, arms in the hands of the Lebanese army stand a good chance of making their way to Hizballah.

Since the Second Lebanon War, the terrorist group has been rebuilding its military forces plus shoring up its political positioning in Beirut. On July 11, Lebanon’s new government was formalized with Hizballah and its allies gaining effective veto power and 11 seats. Hizballah is now the main opposition force.

“This achievement represents success for Hizbollah's campaign of civil disobedience over the last 18 months,” Spyer wrote in an editorial. “Veto power will enable Hizbollah to protect the independent military infrastructure that it has developed with Iranian and Syrian help—for use against Israel at some future date.”

Now Israel is no longer dealing with merely a rogue terrorist organization planted in a country, but an official wing of the government. Even the Lebanese Armed Forces, the official army, has little hope of standing up to Hizballah, Spyer said.

Lebanon is also asking Iran to sell it midsized weapons. Now that alliance makes more sense. But as the International Herald Tribune noted on Oct. 26: “Some officials within the Pentagon and State Department have expressed concern about extensive military aid to a country so recently free of Syrian control and in which Hizballah, which has close ties to Syria and Iran ties, has continued to gain political power. And that has been a main concern for Israel, which has been lobbying for a lower level of support to remove the possibility that American tanks and helicopters might one day be used against it.”