Lebanese soldiers stand on a military vehicle during an army media tour to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, Nov. 28, 2025. (Credit: Aziz Taher/Reuters)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army denied on Monday a report that claimed that one of its officers met with an Israeli officer in the United States, in a statement relayed by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
Pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar had reported earlier today that the Lebanese Army's Director of Planning, Georges Saqr, held an "unprecedented military meeting" with an Israeli officer at the Tampa U.S. base in Florida under the sponsorship of a senior U.S. army officer.
“One of the local newspapers published an article containing false information about a meeting between an officer from the Lebanese Army and an officer from the Israeli army in the United States ... The Army Command categorically denies this news and affirms that what was stated in the article is completely unfounded and not based on any facts. It also clarifies that all its meetings are conducted within the legally and officially approved frameworks, in a manner that preserves Lebanon’s sovereignty and its supreme national interest," the statement reads.
The army also called on media outlets to "exercise accuracy and responsibility when addressing matters related to the military institution, and to refrain from publishing fabricated information at this sensitive stage.”
The army's commander, Rudolph Haykal, recently returned from an official visit to the U.S. In February, Haykal is expected to present his vision for implementing the second phase of the plan to establish a monopoly on weapons, as Hezbollah maintains its refusal to disarm north of the Litani River. Meanwhile, Israel continues to carried out attacks on a near-daily basis, mainly in south Lebanon and occasionally in the Bekaa, in violation of the November 2024 cease-fire agreement.
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