In a statement on Aug. 9, Berman said the Lebanese Army has come under
the control of the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah. He said he ordered a hold on
all funding to Lebanon on Aug. 3, the day after the deadly clash in which
five Lebanese were killed in Israeli counter-fire.
"I have been concerned for some time about reported Hizbullah influence
on the Lebanese armed forces and its implications for our military
assistance program for Lebanon," Berman, a California Democrat, said. "For
that reason, on Aug. 2, I placed a hold on a $100 million dollar security
assistance package to the LAF. The incident on the Israel-Lebanon border
only one day after my hold was placed simply reinforces the critical need
for the United States to conduct an in-depth policy review of its
relationship with the Lebanese military."
Rep. Nita Lowey, chair of the House Subcommittee on State and Foreign
Operations, confirmed that $100 million in U.S. military aid to Lebanon
was frozen. Ms. Lowey said the purpose of U.S. aid to Lebanon's military,
said to have fired American assault rifles, was not to harm Israel.
"U.S. assistance is intended to enhance our safety and that of our
allies," Ms. Lowey said.
Officials said the State Department, which has overseen U.S. military
aid to Lebanon, was examining the Aug. 3 border clash between Lebanon and
Israel. They said the department was investigating reports that Lebanese
troops fired U.S. weapons toward the Israeli force.
In 2010, the administration had planned to ship a range of surplus U.S.
combat platforms to Lebanon, including main battle tanks, helicopters,
unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery. Several leading members of Congress
were said to have privately expressed their concern even before the Lebanese
attack on the Israeli border.
"It [U.S. aid to Lebanon] is in the interest of both of our countries
and regional stability as a whole," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley
said.
Republican members of Congress have also supported a block on U.S. aid
to Lebanon. House minority whip Rep. Eric Cantor said such assistance must
not resume until Lebanon's military ends all cooperation with Hizbullah.
"For the past few years, the U.S. and the international community looked
the other way as the lines between Hizbullah and the Lebanese military and
government became blurred," Cantor said. "But the days of ignoring the LAF's
provocations against Israel and protection of Hizbullah in southern Lebanon
are over."
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