(Wall Street Journal) Tony Badran and Jonathan Schanzer - The U.S. continues to treat Lebanon as a friend, even as the difference between its government and Hizbullah has become hard to discern. The institution receiving the most U.S. support, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), has worked hand-in-hand with Hizbullah nationwide. UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in 2006 called for Lebanon to disarm Hizbullah. Instead, the LAF looked the other way when Hizbullah dug cross-border attack tunnels into Israel. The LAF allowed the import of technology, flown in by Iranian planes, to upgrade Hizbullah missiles. The problem isn't only a lack of control - it's collusion. Israel recently exposed a Hizbullah precision-rocket facility in eastern Lebanon that is a short drive away from an LAF base. Hizbullah and its allies hold the majority in Parliament and dominate Lebanon's security and foreign policies. Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president for research.
2019-09-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive