BEIRUT, Lebanon, May 19 (UPI) -- A top U.S. Special Operations Command officer arrived in Beirut to meet with Lebanese defense officials to discuss military assistance for Beirut.
U.S. Navy Adm. Eric Olson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, flew in from Baghdad to meet with Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr, Lebanon's The Daily Star reports.
Olson, a counter-terrorism expert, arrived in Beirut on Monday, leading a delegation of U.S. officials, though the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and U.S. Special Operations Command did not release any information regarding his visit.
The United States is a key supporter for the Lebanese military, which is struggling to assert its dominant security position in the wake of the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
U.S. President Barack Obama had asked lawmakers earlier in the year to consider increasing military aid to Lebanon by $98.4 million in 2009, bringing the total to $189.1 million.
Earlier this year, Washington also delivered its Cessna Caravan combat air-support aircraft to the Lebanese military as part of a border-protection effort.
The Caravan will work in coordination with 4.5-pound RQ-11 Raven unmanned aerial vehicles that U.S. military officials delivered in March for Lebanese counter-terrorist activities.
The Caravan comes equipped with advanced sensory equipment and Hellfire missiles for operations in support of the Lebanese military in urban settings.
