Trump unfreezes US military aid to Lebanon without explanation
The White House has lifted a hold on $105 million in security assistance to Lebanon.
The Donald Trump administration has lifted a hold on $105 million in security assistance to Lebanon after failing to explain the delay in military aid that could date as far back as June.
A congressional committee aide told Al-Monitor that the US administration gave the State Department guidance last Wednesday that it would not announce that the aid would be released, but did not provide a rationale for disbursing the money.
Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney had previously failed to respond to inquiries from the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the reasons for the Trump administration’s decision to cut off aid.
Since the aid, known as Foreign Military Financing, supported the Lebanese Armed Forces' purchases of weapons that have to be purchased or built, the freeze did not delay anything that was ready for transfer, the aide added. Reuters was the first outlet to report on the administration's decision to release the hold.
