Lebanon’s chance for lasting peace is slipping away, 10 weeks after the U.S. brokered a security framework between the country and Israel, a Republican congressman said.
Rep. Darin LaHood, who is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said at an event at the Middle East Institute in Washington on Thursday that Hezbollah, a Shiite political party in Lebanon that the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization, has never been weaker, offering the country’s leaders a path to a more stable future.
“This is, in my view, a once in a generation opportunity for Lebanon in so many ways,” he said.
But the mechanisms to enforce the framework for peace between Lebanon and Israel remain stalled, Hood, who is a member of the U.S.-Lebanon Friendship Caucus, said.
The agreement, which was reached in June, calls for the disarming of Hezbollah, which operates a paramilitary and is tied to Iran, and phased withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from southern Lebanon. Forces from the Lebanese government would replace the IDF.
David Hale, a former U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, agreed that the framework offers a historic opportunity for peace.
“I’m not one of nature’s optimists after 38 years in the Middle East,” Hale said. “But I actually do believe that this is a significant opportunity that should not be lost, and it can be lost.”
But the implementation of the agreement hasn’t been smooth. A new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon has been delayed to October, and the IDF’s withdrawal has stalled. The U.S. has also withheld money from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) pending verification that it has met conditions called for in the framework.
Calls to Deepen U.S. Military Involvement
LaHood and Hale said the U.S. may need to play a more direct role in the process, particularly in helping the LAF develop into a more effective force and in ensuring Israel meets the terms of the agreement.
“There is no reason why we can’t see a more robust U.S. military role behind the scenes in helping the LAF,” Hale said.
Both cited the killing of Lebanese soldiers in an Israeli strike in June as evidence that no one is in a position to hold Israel accountable in real time.
