UK, US affirm support for Lebanese forces

British-Lebanese military co-operation is continuing in accordance with a programme aimed at enhancing the capabilities of land border regiments to protect and control the Syria border, officials from both countries said.

Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun on July 17th accompanied British Ambassador Chris Rampling and US Ambassador Elizabeth Richard on a visit to the Land Border Regiments Command in the Bekaa Valley.

The purpose of the visit was to assess progress made on the Lebanese-Syrian border security project.

Lebanese regiments stationed in this area played a key role in ousting the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) and al-Nusra Front from the border area, as part of Operation Fajr al-Juroud (Al-Fajr Dawn) in August 2017.

During the visit, Rampling reiterated the UK's steadfast support for Lebanon through various projects, and pledged continuing support for Lebanese forces.

Senior adviser to the British Ministry of Defence for Middle East Affairs John Lorimer later said the UK will continue to support Lebanon and its armed forces, particularly with training and the construction of border observation towers.

Military support 'will continue'

The military-diplomatic meeting at the border "confirms that US-British support for the Lebanese army will continue", a military source with the Lebanese Army Command told Al-Mashareq.

Gen. Joseph Aoun holds a quarterly meeting with the US and British ambassadors at the Ministry of Defence, the source said, but the July meeting was held for the first time at the headquarters of the 2nd Border Regiment.

"The two ambassadors were briefed on the difficult geographic terrain, the role performed by the Land Border Regiments, and how they carry out their duties in maintaining security despite the difficulties they face," he said.

The ambassadors "saw firsthand during their field visit the developments taking place at the border and where the assistance coming from their countries is being invested", he said.

The meeting "concluded with the two countries renewing their support for the army in the areas of logistics and training", he said.

The UK has provided the Land Border Regiments with "observation posts, equipped those posts and trained the regiments on the course of action to take in the event of a storm or snowfall", he said.

Meanwhile, he said, "the US provided these units with sophisticated communications equipment".

The situation at the border is calm, the military source said, and the land border regiments exercise control over 85% of the border, as the area's rugged terrain makes it difficult for the army to deploy troops along the entire length of the border.

Supporting the fight against terrorism

The UK is working closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces to strengthen Lebanon's stability and sovereignty and support it in fighting terrorism, said British Embassy political secretary and programme director Ian Griffiths.

"The UK is proud to maintain a close relationship with the Lebanese Armed Forces," he told Al-Mashareq.

"We have provided training, equipment and other forms of support, bringing the total amount of British aid to nearly three million pounds ($3.75 million) from 2017 to date," Griffiths said.

So far this year, he said, the UK has trained more than 11,000 soldiers throughout Lebanon, while since 2016 it has spent "more than 69.4 million pounds ($86.6 million) to train, guide and equip Lebanon's land border regiment".

This includes "the construction of 41 border observation towers and 39 forward operating bases along the border with Syria", he said.

A specialised training facility also was established at the land border in the Bekaa, where more than 6,500 land border regiment personnel have been trained on border operations, Griffiths said.

British support also includes "hosting Lebanese officers in training courses in the UK, including a course on command and joint staffs, and initial training for officers at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst", he said.

More than 200 Lebanese officers of all ranks have taken part, he said.

British training teams also visit Lebanon regularly to help develop a range of skills, he said, but the priority remains to focus on fighting terrorism.

The Lebanese army "achieved tremendous success in 2014, as Lebanon was the first country to fend off ISIS, and in 2017 the Lebanese Armed Forces successfully expelled them from Lebanese territory", Griffiths noted.