Lebanese Army Cannot Resist Israeli Aggression as US Limited Its Development

On October 1, the Israeli army began a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon, attempting to gain a foothold in border settlements. Since September 23, settlements in the south and east of the country, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut, have been subjected to massive bombing. To date, more than a million people have become refugees, more than 2,000 Lebanese have died and about 9,000 have been injured.

"Historically, the Lebanese army has been very poorly armed, and this is due to its attachment to the Western armed forces. The West has always prevented the army from being strengthened so that it would be unable to defend its sovereignty, especially against Israel. And this connection is stronger than the connection with the Lebanese government. Lebanese soldiers and officers want to defend their homeland, but they have neither aircraft nor air defense, so they are forced to remain in their places," Zahwi said, noting that the Lebanese armed forces currently mainly perform the tasks of the internal troops, helping the Lebanese police.

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According to the expert, the United States is blocking any opportunities for the Lebanese army to acquire aviation and air defense, since their strategic ally is Israel, and they are interested in minimizing threats to it; such a position is connected with strategic interests in the Middle East. And therefore Washington plays the role of guarantor of Israeli security in the region.

"In particular, the economic crisis provoked by the US in 2019 also became the reason for the further weakening of the army. The authorities tried to turn to Russia or Iran to arm the army, but the army was left without funds and is now unable to buy components and maintain its equipment and weapons," Zahwi explained, answering why the Lebanese authorities did not purchase weapons from other countries.

Speaking about the prestige of the military profession in Lebanon, the retired Lebanese colonel explained that soldiers and officers used to be highly respected in society and had some social benefits.

"But from a life point of view, it has become unprofitable to serve. If before the crisis I received $3,500 in my position, now $300 and therefore officers leave the army in search of other work," he said.

According to the expert, the United States believes that the Lebanese army is part of its Middle East group of troops, with one of the largest US bases in the Mediterranean being located in the Hamat region in northern Lebanon.

"The existence of this base is illegitimate, it was created without official coordination with the Lebanese authorities and without the official approval of the head of state, but simply on the basis of closed agreements with a group of Lebanese army commanders," Zahwi said.

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Explaining how dependent the Lebanese army was on the United States, the former colonel cited an incident on the border several years ago, when a Lebanese border guard, without orders, opened fire on an Israeli drone that had entered Lebanese airspace.

"The American side then froze the supply of 5.65 caliber ammunition to the Lebanese army for almost two years," he noted.

"The Lebanese army has no forces or means to resist Israeli ground intervention. Israeli military technology is completely superior to that of Lebanon," the military expert concluded.

Lebanese Army Cannot Resist Israeli Aggression as US Limited Its Development - Analyst