WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- U.S. weapons shipments to the Lebanese military are under review while lawmakers in Beirut struggle to form a new government, the Pentagon said.
Officials at the U.S. Defense Department said Washington was reviewing its military assistance to Lebanon during the transition period, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati hasn't been able to form a unity government since Hezbollah brought down the government of Saad Hariri. Hezbollah led opposition members in a walkout, citing their frustration with Hariri's support for a tribunal probing the assassination of his father in 2005. Hezbollah is widely expecting to face indictments.
Pentagon officials added that they would continue training Lebanese forces, describing the bilateral partnership as "robust," the Journal adds.
U.S. Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Aug. 9 he was withholding roughly $100 million in military aid to Lebanon because he was concerned about Hezbollah's influence over the military.
His decision followed an Aug. 3 gun battle between Israeli and Lebanese forces that left four people dead, including an Israeli lieutenant colonel.
Berman, in an about-face, said classified briefings in November, however, convinced him that military aid to Lebanon will have a greater focus. He said he felt the Lebanese military was better able to handle the assistance responsibly.
