US shifts some military aid to Lebanon from Egypt
US President Joe Biden's administration will divert $95 million in military aid allocated for Egypt to Lebanon, which faces threats from Hezbollah and other non-state actors and is enforcing a ceasefire with Israel.
The State Department notification to Congress of the planned shift calls the Lebanese armed forces a key partner in upholding the Nov. 27, 2024, Israel-Lebanon agreement to cease hostilities and to prevent Hezbollah from threatening Israel.
The move comes after some of Biden's fellow Democrats in Congress expressed deep concerns about Egypt's human rights record, particularly the arrests of thousands of political prisoners.
The State Department and the Egyptian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In September, State said the Biden administration was overriding human rights conditions on military aid to Egypt, granting Cairo its full allocation of $1.3 billion, including $95 million tied specifically to Egypt's progress on the release of political prisoners.
