UK commits further £13 million to Lebanese Armed Forces

The British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell, has announced a £13 million commitment to “support the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) resilience from 2022 till 2025 in a Memorandum of Understanding signed with LAF Commander in Chief General Joseph Aoun,” the British embassy said.

Cowell, with the U.S. Ambassador, Dorothy Shea, and the Canadian Ambassador, Stephanie McCollum, met General Aoun during the High Level Steering Committee to discuss security on the Lebanese-Syrian border.

“The joint border project has reinforced the authority of the Lebanese state along its land border with Syria where Four Land Border Regiments have been deployed from the North in Arida to the south in Jebel Al Sheikh,” the embassy said in a statement.

Following the meeting, Ambassador Cowell said: “This MOU demonstrates our commitment to continuing our support to and cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces. Since 2009, the UK has committed over £87 million allowing the LAF to optimize its capabilities, develop and modernize. We are proud of our contribution to building the LAF’s reputation as a respected, professional armed forces able to defend Lebanon and provide security along its border with Syria.”

“It was a privilege to meet the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Joseph Aoun, and attend my first High Level Steering Committee. The Lebanese Armed Forces play a pivotal role in safeguarding Lebanon and its people,” Cowell added.

“I am hugely impressed by the courage that the men and women of the Lebanese Armed Forces show,” he said.