BEIRUT- Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Joseph Khalil Aoun, has praised the critical and constructive role the UAE in Lebanon, especially the support provided in demining the country’s southern region and the provision of military assistance. During his meeting with Hamad Saeed Sultan Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Lebanon, General Aoun affirmed the UAE’s necessary vision to combat terrorism and extremism, and confront Takfiri groups, emphasising that the nation’s role in Lebanon and the region as a whole is appreciated. Ambassador Al Shamsi congratulated General Aoun on the occasion of assuming his new duties and wished him success in his role to assure the interests of Lebanon’s leadership, people and institutions. Al Shamsi also praised the national victories achieved by the Lebanese army in its war against terrorist organisations, honouring the great sacrifices made by the military establishment and its role in maintaining security and stability.
ByJoyce Karam – the National ae– Lebanon’s army chief will be visiting Washington this week at the same time that US legislators vote on stricter sanctions legislation against the Lebanese militant group Hizbollah. General Joseph Aoun is scheduled to meet the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Gen Joseph Dunford and the commander of US Central Command Gen Joseph Votel later this week at the Pentagon, The National has learnt. The general’s visit, his second since taking charge of the Lebanese Armed Forces in March, will focus on US assistance for counterterrorism operations following the army’s fight against ISIL in the Arsal border region in August. A new package on the table includes Super Tucano aircraft, said a US source following preparations for the visit. Washington provides almost $70 million (Dh257m) a year in security and military aid for Lebanon. Gen Aoun’s visit coincides with a Congress vote on legislation to cut off the finances of Hizbollah, designated as a terrorist organisation by the US government since 1997. The Hizbollah International Financing Prevention Act (Hifpa) of 2017 authorises new sanctions against the Iran-funded group and its financial networks and requires the US president to release an annual estimate of the net worth of Hizbollah leaders and backers, including its secretary general Hassan Nasrallah. A vote in the House of Representatives, where the bill has the support of both parties, is expected on Wednesday but could come as soon as Monday. Gen Aoun’s visit on the heels of such vote “needs to tread a fine line between the political scenes in Beirut and Washington”, said Randa Slim of the Middle East Institute think tank in Washington. “If he is perceived by Hizbollah as having become an ally for the US in its strategy to roll back Iranian influence in the region, this will complicate relations between the Lebanese army and Hizbollah,” Ms Slim told The National. By the same token, if Gen Aoun “is seen as too accommodating to Hizbollah’s demands and red lines, it will risk undermining US congressional support for US military assistance to Lebanon”, she said. The Lebanese army chief is expected to also meet members of Congress from the foreign affairs and armed services committees during his visit.
