The United States has approved a potential $35 million military sale to provide the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with 90 Humvee vehicles, a move that comes as Washington intensifies pressure on Beirut to bring all weapons under state control — including those held by Hezbollah.
The approval was confirmed by the US Defence Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA), which said the vehicles are in addition to 50 Humvees already ordered by Lebanon under previous agreements.
In a statement, the agency said the deal aligns with US foreign policy and national security interests, describing the Lebanese army as a critical institution for maintaining political and economic stability in the Middle East.
“The proposed sale will enhance the Lebanese Armed Forces’ ability to respond rapidly to security threats,” the DSCA said, noting that the Humvees will provide high mobility light combat capabilities to counter perimeter threats and support counter-terrorism and anti-terrorism operations.
The latest approval follows continued US military assistance to Lebanon. In October, the administration of President Donald Trump authorised approximately $230 million in security support for Lebanon’s armed forces. However, a newly proposed US defence bill could make future assistance conditional on measurable progress in disarming Hezbollah, reflecting growing frustration in Washington.
Lebanese officials told The Gulf Talk earlier this month that Beirut’s plan to centralise all weapons under state authority remains on schedule. According to those officials, the army is close to completing the first phase of the initiative, which focuses on disarming Hezbollah in southern regions bordering Israel.
Lebanon has come under sustained diplomatic pressure from the United States to accelerate the process, particularly after Hezbollah — once the country’s most powerful armed group and a key pillar of Iran’s regional “axis of resistance” — was severely weakened during its latest conflict with Israel.
Despite this, Hezbollah has rejected discussions about surrendering its weapons under current conditions, citing Israel’s continued military presence in southern Lebanon and its frequent airstrikes across the country.
Since the November 2024 ceasefire agreement that ended more than a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, the Lebanese army has steadily expanded its deployment in southern Lebanon, as required under the truce. Israel, however, has not fully withdrawn from the area and has reinforced its positions in parts of the south, raising tensions.
Beirut has blamed Israel’s continued occupation of five strategic locations and its near-daily military strikes for slowing progress on Hezbollah’s disarmament south of the Litani River.
On Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes killed two people in Lebanon, including one near Beirut, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. In separate statements, the Israeli military said it had targeted two Hezbollah members, without offering further details.
As regional tensions persist, the Humvee deal underscores Washington’s strategy of strengthening state institutions in Lebanon while pushing for a long-term shift toward exclusive state control over arms, a goal that remains deeply contested on the ground.
