Jan 3, 2019

The Donald Trump administration is providing the Lebanese army with more than $100 million in upgrades to tanks and attack helicopters in the latest US effort to stem the influence of Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The package includes training for pilots and maintenance crew on MD-530G light scout attack helicopters provided by the Pentagon last year as well as laser-guided rockets, according to Defense Department records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the Security Assistance Monitor. Lebanon will receive the equipment through the Defense Department’s Section 333 program, which helps US partners build their military inventories to fight terrorism and handle border security.

The Pentagon has indicated that the upgrades have long been in the works to help the Lebanese army stem the influence of Iran and Hezbollah as the organization’s activity has spread inside Syria. The package will also include sniper rifles, night-vision devices and mortars for infantry units.

“The Department of Defense (DoD) plans Section 333 security cooperation — including the assistance in question — well in advance according to our plans to strengthen the capabilities of key partners in the region,” Pentagon spokeswoman Rebecca Rebarich told Al-Monitor in a statement. “Strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) advances a range of US interests in the Middle East that includes not only countering the spread of violent extremisms but also stemming the influence of Iran and Hezbollah.”

With al-Qaeda and the Islamic State on the run, top Trump administration officials including national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have called for the United States to take a harder line against Iran. But some experts aren’t sure aid to the Lebanese army fits the emerging American policy in the region.