Top Lebanese military officials have been meeting their American counterparts in recent days as Beirut seeks to secure international support for the country’s military and state institutions.
Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), General Rodolphe Haykal, visited the US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida, on Monday.
The LAF has been at the forefront of efforts by the Lebanese state, under President Joseph Aoun, to disarm Hezbollah and all other armed groups outside state control. The plan was drawn up at the request of Aoun and his government after the election of a new government last year. It also came after Hezbollah was severely weakened in an Israeli campaign that eliminated the group’s leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah.
– The continuous work of the LAF to disarm non-state actors and strengthen national sovereignty as a guarantor of Lebanon’s security is more important than ever – the American Embassy in Beirut announced on the X platform with photos of Haykal who was welcomed at CENTCOM.
Haykal will return to Washington this week for meetings with US officials from the Trump administration. Among others, he will meet with Daniel Zimmerman, the Pentagon’s assistant secretary for international security. Haykal will also have meetings with US lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Prior to his US visit, senior LAF officials traveled to Tampa last week to discuss progress on the Lebanese Army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah, US Marine Corps Forces, Central Command (MARCENT) said.
The two-day bilateral security summit allowed Lebanese military leaders to present regional security issues to US military leadership, “including operational reports and progress on the military’s disarmament plan.”
Lt. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, MARCENT Commander and Chairman of the Lebanon-Israel Truce Mechanism, led talks focused on military cooperation and the importance of the mechanism.
– As MARCENT continues to play a key role in the Mechanism, these conversations with our partners will remain a key part of our efforts – said Clearfield. “We are committed to lasting peace and stability in the region,” he added.
(Vijesti.ba)
