US reverses hold on $105mn worth of military aid to Lebanon, praises army’s response to protests

A senior US State Department official has lauded the Lebanese Army, hours after Washington reversed a hold on $105 million worth of military aid to Lebanon, the Daily Star newspaper reported.

Speaking in Washington, the official, who was not identified, said Lebanon’s Army had responded in “impressive fashion” to the protests that erupted in Lebanon on October 17.

The $105 million in military aid from the US to the Army had been held up by checks to ensure the aid didn’t benefit Washington’s “adversaries,” a US Embassy official told the daily on Tuesday.

Earlier reports said that Washington had released $105 million in military aid to the Lebanese Army shortly before the Thanksgiving holiday.