Lebanon and Britain to hold joint military exercise; US and France also to take part

Lebanon’s army will hold exercises with the British military this month, both sides announce, with the drills also to involve personnel and representatives from countries including the United States and France.

Britain has been a key supporter of the cash-strapped Lebanese army and has provided millions of dollars in assistance over the years, including helping train Lebanese soldiers to secure the country’s land borders.

The Lebanese army says that the joint “Pegasus Cedar 2026” exercise would begin on Tuesday and is aimed to “bolster the capabilities of military units and raise the level of coordination between the Lebanese army and friendly armies.”

It says the exercise would include “training on reconnaissance, raids and combat in built-up areas”, among other activities.

A British embassy statement says British soldiers based in Cyprus would “join their Lebanese counterparts in the Air Assault Regiment in a landmark military exercise aimed at strengthening bilateral defense ties and enhancing operational readiness.”

“Personnel from the armies of the United States and Italy will also take part, with representatives from the armies of France, Cyprus, Qatar, and Jordan joining as observers,” it adds.

The exercise, to be held over three weeks, builds on a previous UK-Lebanon military training exercise held in September 2023, the embassy statement adds.

Lebanese authorities have called for increased support for the country’s under-resourced army, which counts some 80,000 personnel and depends heavily on foreign aid.

The military faces enormous challenges in completing its deployment to south Lebanon under a framework agreement reached in June between Israel and Lebanon that involves the disarmament of Hezbollah and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.