The Repercussions of the Lebanese Army’s New Era
Ali Rizk
The confrontations between the Lebanese army and the "Israeli" army in the southern Lebanese village of Odeisseh just a few weeks ago left a clear undisputable message: the ideology of the Lebanese army is anti "Israeli". These confrontations which left two Lebanese soldiers and one "Israeli" officer dead came right after General James Mattis, the new commander of US central command (which includes US troops in the middle east) stressed that the US must continue to provide assistance to the Lebanese military so that it could counter Hizbullah and Syria.
So the skirmishes in Odeisseh clearly spoiled the plans of Mattis and others in Washington who were still hoping that the Lebanese army would face off against Hizbullah. Such a scenario is now recognized as impossible. Furthermore the reaction of "Israel" and its allies in congress in Washington once again put the US in an awkward position.
After members of congress announced they would freeze military assistance to Lebanon, voices came out to look for military assistance elsewhere (bearing in mind the extremely modest quality of American military assistance to Lebanon).The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon even expressed his countries' willingness to supply the Lebanese army. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt had previously welcomed Iranian military assistance and hence we could be witnessing a new horizon in this regard especially if we take into consideration the campaign announced by Lebanese president Michel Suleiman to arm the Lebanese military which includes looking to brotherly nations to provide such assistance.
Clearly this "Israeli" reaction and that of its allies in the US has hence done damage to Washington's strategic interests. Lebanon meanwhile stands nothing to lose .If the white house does overcome the pressures from congress Washington will nevertheless be even more cautious and will probably send even more modest aid to.
If on the other hand the US is not able to overcome these pressures (which is likely at least for now with congressional elections coming up) then chances are that countries like Iran ,Syria or Russia will be providing the Lebanese military with arms and hence we will have a better equipped army who can play an effective role alongside the resistance in confronting "Israel" in any future conflict.
The confrontations between the Lebanese army and the "Israeli" army in the southern Lebanese village of Odeisseh just a few weeks ago left a clear undisputable message: the ideology of the Lebanese army is anti "Israeli". These confrontations which left two Lebanese soldiers and one "Israeli" officer dead came right after General James Mattis, the new commander of US central command (which includes US troops in the middle east) stressed that the US must continue to provide assistance to the Lebanese military so that it could counter Hizbullah and Syria.
So the skirmishes in Odeisseh clearly spoiled the plans of Mattis and others in Washington who were still hoping that the Lebanese army would face off against Hizbullah. Such a scenario is now recognized as impossible. Furthermore the reaction of "Israel" and its allies in congress in Washington once again put the US in an awkward position.
After members of congress announced they would freeze military assistance to Lebanon, voices came out to look for military assistance elsewhere (bearing in mind the extremely modest quality of American military assistance to Lebanon).The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon even expressed his countries' willingness to supply the Lebanese army. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt had previously welcomed Iranian military assistance and hence we could be witnessing a new horizon in this regard especially if we take into consideration the campaign announced by Lebanese president Michel Suleiman to arm the Lebanese military which includes looking to brotherly nations to provide such assistance.
Clearly this "Israeli" reaction and that of its allies in the US has hence done damage to Washington's strategic interests. Lebanon meanwhile stands nothing to lose .If the white house does overcome the pressures from congress Washington will nevertheless be even more cautious and will probably send even more modest aid to.
If on the other hand the US is not able to overcome these pressures (which is likely at least for now with congressional elections coming up) then chances are that countries like Iran ,Syria or Russia will be providing the Lebanese military with arms and hence we will have a better equipped army who can play an effective role alongside the resistance in confronting "Israel" in any future conflict.
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