Lebanese Army Receives U.S. Military Aid

Beirut – Mansour Shaaban

The Lebanese Army Command announced in a statement that it had received “70 containers of various types of ammunition under U.S. aid programs allocated to the army.”

It clarified that “this aid” comes “in the context of continued U.S. support for the army.” The statement added: “This support is of particular importance in the current phase, given the magnitude of the responsibilities shouldered by the military institution and the challenges it faces. It also contributes to enhancing the army’s capabilities, particularly in carrying out missions across various regions of Lebanon.”

Meanwhile, violations of the border and the ceasefire agreement continued, as the Israeli army burned olive groves and citrus orchards in the vicinity of the towns of Majdal Zoun and Bayt al-Sayyad using white phosphorus bombs. It also carried out a massive explosion and a series of blasts in Majdal Zoun, coinciding with a search operation in the area.

Additionally, an Israeli force consisting of three Merkava tanks infiltrated toward the town of Deir Mimas early yesterday, sealing it off and obstructing the movement of residents entering and exiting for a period of time. During this time, it searched several homes and destroyed telephone poles on both sides of the road before continuing its movements in the area. Artillery shelling targeted the town of al-Mansouri, and a drone dropped a sonic bomb on Zoutar al-Sharqia.

In refutation of Israeli claims regarding the presence of weapons and military fortifications at the archaeological site, the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Rakan Nasser al-Din, and the Minister of Labor, Dr. Mohammad Haidar, visited the Baalbek Citadel and toured its grounds and among its structures, as mandated by the Council of Ministers.

In related developments, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rai, in his Sunday homily from the Monastery of Our Lady of Iliji in the town of Maafouq, in the Jbeil district, stated that protecting Lebanon begins with confining weapons to the state, meaning that “the decision to wage war or maintain peace must be the responsibility of legitimate institutions that bear accountability before all Lebanese.”

He noted that Lebanon’s neutrality does not mean fleeing from its surroundings or abandoning just causes, but rather focusing on serving dialogue and defending the rights of peoples. He added that the South is not a bargaining chip: “It is Lebanese land, and its people are citizens who have the right to security, life, and stability. What is required is for the attacks to stop, for the land and rights to be preserved, and for stability to be restored permanently, not temporarily.”

Addressing the issue of negotiations, al-Rai said: “We support any serious political and diplomatic track that protects Lebanon, spares it from war, and achieves withdrawal, rights, sovereignty, security, and stability.”

He continued: “Today, in politics, Lebanon needs statesmen who place the nation above their positions. In society, Lebanon needs people who reject the language of incitement. In the media, Lebanon needs responsible discourse that does not turn differences into enmity. In homes, Lebanon needs an upbringing that does not pass on the grudges of the past to the new generation.”

He added: “As we preserve the memory of the martyrs of the Lebanese resistance, we do not want to relegate them to the past, but rather to carry forward into the future the cause for which they sacrificed their lives.”

For his part, Sami Gemayel, Member of Parliament and head of the Lebanese Phalange Party, affirmed during an honorary ceremony that reaching the Lebanon that Lebanese aspire to today requires restoring sovereignty and national decision-making, and establishing a strong and capable state. He stressed that the state must act as a state, without fear or hesitation, and that Lebanese must stand alongside it to restore sovereignty and freedom.