is also navigating complex relations with Iran, which backs Hezbollah and has been locked in its own hostilities with Israel. The Biden administration is trying to revive the Iran nuclear deal while also balancing its support for Israel and other regional allies.
U.S. Poured Billions of Military Aid Into Lebanon. Now Israel Threatens to Invade.
military personnel currently deployed in Lebanon.
In a June “War Powers” report to Congress, President Joe Biden highlighted the involvement of approximately 75 United States military personnel deployed to Lebanon to enhance the government’s counterterrorism capabilities and support the counterterrorism operations of Lebanese security forces.
In a joint statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee in April, Christopher P. Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and SOCOM’s commander, Gen. Bryan P. Fenton, mentioned that U.S. commandos are prepared for various contingency operations in Israel and Lebanon.
During testimony before the House Armed Services Committee in March, Fenton emphasized Iran as a malign actor that uses proxies like Hezbollah to create instability in the Middle East. However, Special Operations Command declined to discuss the U.S.’s own proxy force in Lebanon, stating they cannot comment on their work with the G2 Strike Force.
The U.S. has trained over 32,000 Lebanese troops, with 6,000 receiving training in the United States since 1970.
Efforts to obtain comments on U.S. military assistance to Lebanon from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were unsuccessful.
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