US shifts military aid to Lebanon from Egypt, letter says

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration will divert $95 million in military aid allocated for Egypt to Lebanon, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday.

The State Department notification to Congress of the planned shift calls the Lebanese Army "a key partner" in upholding the Nov. 27, 2024, Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire.

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 from Reuters.

In September, the State Department 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.

The notification did not spell out that the $95 million was those funds specifically, but a congressional aide said he did not believe the amount was a coincidence.

Egypt has been a vital partner in the Biden administration's efforts to get more aid into Gaza and has helped mediate the so-far unsuccessful efforts to secure a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

According to the State Department document, the funds would be made available to professionalize the Lebanese Army, strengthen border security, combat terrorism and address security requirements affected by the shift in power in Syria.

"The United States remains Lebanon’s security partner of choice, and U.S. support to the Lebanese Army directly helps secure Lebanon and the wider Levant region," the notification said.

Under U.S. law, Congress has 15 days to object to a reallocation of military assistance, but a congressional aide familiar with the process commented on Monday that he expected lawmakers would welcome the administration's shift of the funds to Lebanon.

"This is a way to say, 'This funding that Egypt didn't really deserve and doesn't really need, let's reprogram that and put this in a better place," the aide told Reuters, requesting anonymity to speak freely.