Lebanese Army seeks aid at Paris preparatory conference

A preparatory meeting in Paris has been held ahead of a major conference aimed at supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces. While the conference signals international confidence in the military institution, it also presents a significant challenge: the requirement for the army to prove its capability to enforce the state's monopoly on weapons.

Army Commander Rudolf Heikal has presented plans to expand the military's mandate beyond the Litani River to include the Bekaa and other Lebanese regions. To achieve this, the military has requested extensive support, including weaponry, logistics, technical training, surveillance equipment, and financial aid to improve the living conditions of personnel. The scale of the request is described as being akin to equipping an entirely new army.

However, participating Arab and Western nations have maintained a consistent stance: substantial military aid will only be provided once the Lebanese army demonstrates tangible progress in implementing government decisions to restrict weapons to state control, specifically regarding the disarmament of Hezbollah. This creates a dilemma for the military, which argues that minimum initial aid is necessary to build the capacity required to fulfill these security mandates.