As truce talks progress, Lebanon's army cornered by politics, funding
19/11/2024 13:32
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Lebanese army caught between Hezbollah's sway and Israeli
force
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U.S. pressures Lebanon to confront Hezbollah, risking
internal
conflict, sources say
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Foreign funding crucial for Lebanese army amid political
and
military challenges
By Maya Gebeily
BEIRUT, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Intensifying efforts for a
truce in Lebanon have brought into focus the role of the
country's army, which would be expected to keep the south free
of Hezbollah weapons but is neither willing nor able to confront
the Iran-backed group, seven sources said.
Hezbollah, though weakened by Israel's year-long offensive,
has long been stronger militarily than the Lebanese Armed
Forces, which have stayed on the sidelines of the conflict even
after Israel sent ground forces into south Lebanon on Oct. 1.
While the army will likely be required to deploy thousands
of troops to the south after any ceasefire deal, it will need
Hezbollah's nod to do so and will avoid confrontations that
could trigger internal strife, said the sources - three people
close to the army and four diplomats, including from donor
countries.
"The Lebanese army is in a situation that is sensitive and
difficult. It cannot practice normal missions like the armies of
other countries because there is another military force in the
country," said retired Lebanese brigadier general Hassan Jouni,
referring to Hezbollah, which enjoys a semi-formal military
status as a resistance force.
This week, both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah agreed
to a U.S. truce proposal, a senior Lebanese official told
Reuters, while cautioning Lebanon still had "comments" on the
draft. Hezbollah's approval is needed for any ceasefire to take
effect, given its arsenal and sway over the Lebanese state.
A second official said exactly how the army would be
deployed to the south was still under discussion.
The United States is keen to see the army confront Hezbollah
more directly and shared that view with Lebanese officials, said
two Western diplomats and one of the sources close to the army.
But Hezbollah's military strength, its shares of Lebanon's
cabinet and parliament, and the proportion of army troops who
are Shi'ite Muslim, means such a move would risk internal
conflict, they said.
Scenes of the army "storming into houses looking for
Hezbollah weapons" would lead to a civil war, one of the
diplomats said, arguing that the army could instead work
alongside U.N. peacekeeping troops to patrol the south without
confronting Hezbollah directly.
Neither the army, Hezbollah or Israel's military responded
to questions for this story.
Last week, Hezbollah spokesman Mohammad Afif told reporters
at a press conference that Hezbollah's relationship with the
army remained "strong."
"You will not be able to sever the connection between the
army and the resistance (Hezbollah)," he said, addressing those
he said were trying to nudge the army to take on the group. Afif
was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut on Sunday.
The White House declined to comment for this story. Asked by
Reuters about the role of Lebanon's military, the U.S. State
Department said it could not comment on "ongoing, private
negotiations".
Lebanese, Israeli and U.S. officials all agree that the
cornerstone of a long-lasting truce lies in better implementing
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the
last round of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
Resolution 1701 says southern Lebanon should be free of
weapons that do not belong to the state, and foresees as many as
15,000 Lebanese troops deployed to the south. It was never fully
implemented by either side and Hezbollah was able to arm itself
and build up fortifications in the south after 2006.
UNUSED WATCHTOWERS
For months, watchtowers donated by Britain for the army to
install in the south have gathered dust in a warehouse near
Beirut, awaiting a truce, while diplomats negotiate how they
could be erected in a way that would antagonize neither Israel
nor Hezbollah, two diplomats and a source familiar with the
situation said.
The plight of the watchtowers highlights some of the
challenges the army will face with any deployment to the
southern border.
The army has long avoided fighting Hezbollah, standing aside
when the Shi'ite group and its allies took over Beirut in 2008.
Lebanese troops have also been careful not to clash with
Israel, withdrawing from the border as Israeli forces prepared
to invade in October. The army has held fire even when Israel
has struck them directly, killing 36 Lebanese soldiers so far.
The army's reliance on foreign funding, especially hundreds
of millions of dollars from Washington, further complicates its
predicament.
Last year, Washington began disbursing cash to fortify troop
salaries slashed by Lebanon's financial crisis after army
canteens stopped serving meat and the military resorted to
offering sightseeing tours in its helicopters to raise cash.
Two of the sources familiar with the army's thinking said
the risk of losing U.S. support was a major concern for army
chief Joseph Aoun, as was keeping the army unified to deploy
once a truce is reached.
"Their priority now is to remain intact for the day after,"
one of them said.
In response to questions about the army's role in Lebanon,
Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for the transition team of U.S.
President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office in January, said
he would act to restore "peace through strength around the
world" when he returns to the White House.
Trump has nominated staunchly pro-Israel figures to
influential diplomatic posts, including real estate developer
Steve Witkoff as his Middle East envoy. Witkoff did not reply to
questions.
One of the sources close to the army said it had no choice
but to wait until the conflict ends to assess the state of
Hezbollah's military strength before its own role becomes clear.
Founded in 1945, the army's troops are split almost evenly
between Sunni Muslims, Shi'ite Muslims and Christians, making it
a longstanding symbol of national unity.
Consisting of approximately 40,000 active personnel, the
army sees itself primarily as the guarantor of civil peace, a
Lebanese security source and the two sources familiar with the
army's thinking said, particularly as tensions rise with
hundreds of thousands of displaced Shi'ites seeking refuge in
primarily Christian, Sunni and Druze areas in the current war.
It has also fought hardline Sunni groups - in Palestinian
camps in 2007 and along Lebanon's border with Syria in 2017.
The army fractured along sectarian lines in 1976, in the
early years of Lebanon's 15-year civil war, catalyzing Lebanon's
descent into militia rule, which ended in 1990 with armed groups
relinquishing their weapons - except Hezbollah.
AID DELAYED
Some international aid to the army has already been held up,
three more diplomats said.
World powers pledged $200 million to the force in Paris last
month on the expectation that it would go towards recruiting new
troops, but differences have emerged.
U.S. officials have sought to withhold funds until a
ceasefire is agreed to pressure Lebanon to make concessions,
while Lebanon says it needs to recruit first to be able to
implement a ceasefire, a European diplomat, a senior diplomat
and a U.N. source told Reuters.
A U.S. official disputed that Washington was using aid as
leverage. The State Department said Washington was committed to
supporting the Lebanese state and its sovereign institutions.
The White House declined to comment.
However, there is precedent. U.S. lawmakers in 2010 briefly
blocked funding for Lebanon's military after a deadly border
clash between Lebanon and Israel. In late September, a
Republican U.S. lawmaker introduced a bill aiming to halt all
financial aid, including for salaries, to the army until the
Lebanese state barred Hezbollah as a political party.
Since 2008, ministerial statements have given Hezbollah
legitimacy as an armed entity in the country alongside the
military, without clearly detailing limits on its role.
"The situation needs internal political understandings to
determine the role of Hezbollah in the security and military
sphere in Lebanon," said Jouni, the retired brigadier general.
(Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Additional reporting by Timour
Azhari; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
((mailto:Maya.Gebeily@thomsonreuters.com;))