US diverting military funds from Egypt to Lebanon, report claims
Al Jazeera
The White House is to send $95m to Lebanon, citing regional security, while eyeing human rights concerns in Egypt, Reuters reports.
The United States plans to divert to Lebanon $95m in military aid that was originally allocated to Egypt, according to an unconfirmed news agency report.
The State Department notification to Congress of the planned shift, the Reuters news agency reported on Monday, names the Lebanese armed forces as “a key partner” in upholding the November 27, 2024, Israel-Lebanon agreement to cease hostilities and to prevent Hezbollah from threatening Israel.
The move comes after some of President Joe Biden’s fellow Democrats expressed deep concerns about Egypt’s human rights record, particularly the arrest of thousands of political prisoners.
The contents of the document remain unconfirmed. Neither the State Department nor the Egyptian embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests by Reuters for comment.
