The Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Army, Rodolph Haykal, upon his arrival for a meeting with CENTCOM in Florida, on Feb. 2, 2026. (Photo: X/US @USMARCENT)
Lebanese Army Commander-in-Chief Rodolph Haykal arrived in Washington on Monday for a three-day visit and held numerous meetings today with U.S. officials and lawmakers.
On the agenda: the evolving security situation in Lebanon and the region, as well as operational updates on the Lebanese Army’s progress under the Hezbollah disarmament plan approved by Nawaf Salam's government last summer.
Local channel MTV reported Haykal’s Wednesday schedule: meetings with Representative Darin LaHood, Senator Elissa Slotkin, Representative Abraham Hamadeh, and Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Jack Reed.
A closed-door meeting at the CIA headquarters was also on the agenda, as well as talks with Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and Representative Gregory Meeks.
LaHood, himself of Lebanese descent, told LBCI that “the meeting was very good with the army commander.” “We spoke at length about disarmament and the importance of the Lebanese Army and its role in Lebanon,” he said.
“We want to support the Lebanese Army, because it is the pillar that has kept the country united, it is the fundamental pillar of the country, but it must do stronger work on the disarmament file. That’s why we discussed the situation north of the Litani River and in the Bekaa and what needs to be accomplished there.”
“At this stage, we are satisfied with the Lebanese Army’s performance in confiscating Hezbollah’s weapons, but more progress must be made,” LaHood continued.
“When we look again at the area north of the Litani and the Bekaa, we have to make sure that Hezbollah’s weapons have been completely removed and eliminated there. We discussed this and how we can help provide them with the equipment they need to achieve this goal.”
The representative also expressed his conviction that “there will be additional aid for the army.” “We are working with the State Department, the Defense Department, and the National Security Council to provide them with the necessary equipment,” he added.
Haykal's visit takes place in a particularly tense context. Upon his return, he will need to present to the Cabinet his vision for the implementation of the second phase of the plan regarding the monopoly on weapons, even as Hezbollah maintains its refusal to disarm and even claims it could intervene alongside Iran if the Tehran regime is attacked.
Originally scheduled for November, the army commander’s visit to Washington had ultimately been postponed due to U.S. dissatisfaction with the army’s actions and its reluctance to enter into armed confrontation with Hezbollah.
Despite the truce reached in November 2024, which was supposed to end over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, Israel continues to regularly carry out strikes on Lebanese territory.
In early January, the Lebanese Army announced the completion of the first phase of its Hezbollah disarmament plan, covering the area south of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the Israeli border. The Israeli state, however, deemed the army’s progress “insufficient,” while Hezbollah rejected calls to surrender its arsenal.
A conference in support of the Lebanese Army is also scheduled for March 5 in Paris.
In this context, al-Markaziya agency reported that President Joseph Aoun will lead the Lebanese delegation to the conference and that French President Emmanuel Macron has sent invitations to 50 countries expected to attend, along with about a dozen international and regional organizations that have expressed their willingness to participate and support Lebanon’s military and security institutions.
