US shifting military funds from Egypt to Lebanon: Reuters

The State Department notification to Congress of the planned shift, the Reuters news agency reported on Monday, names the Lebanese armed forces as “a key partner” in upholding the November 27, 2024, Israel-Lebanon agreement to cease hostilities.

The move comes after some of President Joe Biden’s fellow Democrats expressed deep concerns about Egypt’s human rights record, particularly the arrest of thousands of political prisoners.

The contents of the document remain unconfirmed. Neither the State Department nor the Egyptian embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests by Reuters for comment.

In September, the US Department of State’s digital publication State said the Biden administration would override human rights conditions on military aid to Egypt to grant Cairo a full allocation of $1.3bn. The total included $95m tied specifically to progress on the release of political prisoners.

The notification reportedly did not spell out that the $95m was those funds specifically, but a congressional aide said he did not believe the amount was a coincidence.

Egypt has been a vital partner in the Biden administration’s efforts to get more aid into Gaza and has helped mediate so-far-unsuccessful efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The September decision to grant the money to Egypt prompted objections from within Congress, including from Democratic Senators Chris Murphy and Chris Coons, both senior members of the Foreign Relations Committee, who released a joint statement decrying the decision.

According to the State Department document, the funds would be made available to professionalise the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), strengthen border security, combat terrorism and address security requirements affected by the shift in power in Syria.

“The United States remains Lebanon’s security partner of choice, and US support to the LAF directly helps secure Lebanon and the wider Levant region,” the notification added.

Bolstering Lebanon’s army could also help ensure Syria’s transition is not disrupted by Iran-backed Shia group Hezbollah, which previously played a major part in propping up Bashar al-Assad during Syria’s war.

Under US law, Congress has 15 days to object to a reallocation of military assistance, but a congressional aide familiar with the process commented that he expected lawmakers would welcome the administration’s shift of the funds to Lebanon.

“This is a way to say, ‘This funding that Egypt didn’t really deserve and doesn’t really need, let’s reprogramme that and put this in a better place,” the aide told Reuters.