Haykal meets with CENTCOM and Congress during US visit

BEIRUT — Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Rodolph Haykal arrived in Washington on Monday for a three-day visit during which he is expected to meet with U.S. officials and lawmakers to discuss Lebanon’s security situation and broader regional developments.

Haykal is also expected to provide operational briefings and outline the Lebanese Army’s progress in implementing the Hezbollah disarmament plan approved by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government last summer.

The visit comes at a particularly sensitive moment. Upon his return to Beirut, Haykal is expected to present to the Cabinet his vision for implementing the second phase of the state’s weapons monopoly plan, as Hezbollah continues to reject disarmament and has warned it could intervene alongside Iran in the event of a U.S. or Israeli attack on Tehran.

Originally scheduled for November, the trip was postponed amid U.S. dissatisfaction with the army’s performance and its reluctance to confront Hezbollah militarily.

Meetings in Washington

On Tuesday, Haykal is scheduled to meet with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Daniel Zimmerman, U.S. Chief of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, National Security Council officials Sebastian Gorka and Wayne Wall, and Robert Palladino, a senior official at the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

He is also expected to meet members of Congress, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, ranking Democrat Gregory Meeks, Senators Lindsey Graham and Jeanne Shaheen, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and representatives of the Lebanese-American Friendship Caucus.

Talks are expected to focus on Hezbollah’s disarmament, cross-border security threats, U.S. support for the Lebanese Army, regional military cooperation and efforts to combat smuggling. U.S. defense strategy in the Middle East and Lebanon’s role within it are also expected to be discussed.

Haykal is also scheduled to meet members of the Lebanese and Arab communities at a reception hosted by the Lebanese Embassy in Washington.

According to Saudi broadcaster al-Arabiya, the army commander visited the headquarters of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, Florida, on Monday.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa said in a post on X that he “warmly welcomed” Haykal’s visit, adding that “the work carried out by the Lebanese Army to disarm non-state actors and strengthen national sovereignty, as guarantor of Lebanon’s security, is more important than ever.”

Last week, Lebanese military officials met with Marine Corps Forces Central Command (MARCENT), led by Gen. Joseph Clearfield, who also chairs the cease-fire monitoring committee in southern Lebanon. The talks focused on military cooperation and the role of the committee. Clearfield said MARCENT “will continue to play a central role” in efforts to promote stability in the region.

U.S. policy debate

A U.S. congressional session on Lebanon titled “U.S. Policy Toward Lebanon: Obstacles to Dismantling Hezbollah’s Grip on Power” was held on Tuesday.

Rep. Mike Lawler said Washington wants Lebanon to become “a true partner in the region,” including the possibility of joining the Abraham Accords and a future normalization track with Israel. MTV quoted Lawler as saying there is a “historic opportunity” to weaken Hezbollah’s influence but warned that it could be lost without swift decisions.

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker said the disarmament process remains slow and that the Lebanese government is hesitant. He added that U.S. assistance should be “conditional on performance rather than open-ended support.”

Dana Stroul, research director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Washington faces a narrow window to reshape Lebanon but stressed that this would not be achieved through military pressure alone. Instead, she said, it requires “a comprehensive political and economic architecture that links U.S. support to reforms, elections and reconstruction.”

Despite a cease-fire reached in November 2024 to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, Israel continues to carry out daily strikes on Lebanon.

In early January, the Lebanese Army announced it had completed the first phase of its disarmament plan south of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the Israeli border.

An international conference in support of the Lebanese Army is scheduled to be held in Paris on March 5.