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U.S. Reviews Military Aid to Lebanon
(Foreign Policy) Josh Rogin - As Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri visits Washington this week, he faces deep questions in Congress and in the Defense Department about the future of U.S. military aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces. Many lawmakers and some at the Pentagon, including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, are extremely skeptical that continuing to funnel large amounts of cash and supplies to the LAF is really a good way to approach the Lebanon problem. There is also a concern Hariri could let U.S. weapons slip into the hands of Hizbullah. Mona Yacoubian, director of the U.S. Institute of Peace's Lebanon Working Group, said that there is growing concern inside the administration that the shift of power inside Lebanon toward Hizbullah suggests that it may not be wise to put more resources into the Lebanese military.