US cancels meetings with Lebanese army chief over remarks on Israel, sources say

The US has cancelled meetings in Washington with Lebanese Armed Forces commander Gen. Rudolf Hachem after objecting to a statement the army issued on Sunday about border tensions with Israel, Lebanese officials familiar with the matter tell Reuters.

A Lebanese security official tells Reuters the cancellations were “sudden and shocking” and prompted Hachem to call off the trip. Hachem was due to arrive in Washington today for meetings on military assistance and border-security cooperation.

The US Embassy in Beirut does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Washington is a key backer of Lebanon’s army, providing support of more than $3 billion over the last two decades in a policy aimed at supporting state institutions in a country where the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah has long held sway and has launched attacks on Israel.

In Sunday’s statement, the army accused Israel of “insisting on violating Lebanese sovereignty, causing instability and obstructing the army’s deployment in the south.”

Lebanon condemned the “latest attack” on a UNIFIL peacekeeping patrol and said Israeli actions required “immediate action” from friendly states as they amounted to “a dangerous escalation.” Israel has said the shots at UNIFIL were fired in error.

Israel has troops stationed at several points in southern Lebanon, a deployment the IDF says is meant to enforce the terms of a 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The ceasefire required the terror group not to have any weapons in the south and for Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanon.

Under the terms of the truce, brokered by the US and France, Lebanon’s armed forces were to confiscate “all unauthorized arms,” beginning in the area south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem has said the agreement only applies to the area south of the Litani.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of trying to rearm, while Lebanon’s government accuses Israel of violating the agreement by not withdrawing and continuing to carry out airstrikes.