Lebanese soldiers gathered at the Mohammad Zgheib barracks in Saida on Aug. 3, 2026. (Credit: Screenshot taken from a video published on the army's X account)
BEIRUT — The United Kingdom has signed a memorandum of understanding with the interior ministry and defense ministry, the British Embassy in Lebanon announced Friday in a statement cited by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
The agreement “reaffirms the longstanding partnership between the United Kingdom and Lebanon’s security institutions,” according to the statement. The UK’s Integrated Security Fund will support a 31-month Internal Security Assistance Programme for the Internal Security Forces (ISF) and the Lebanese Army, with funding of up to £16.3 million, or more than $22 million at the current exchange rate.
The program aims to strengthen “security, stability, state authority and institutional resilience in Lebanon” and support “professional, accountable and effective responses to current and emerging internal and external security challenges, including counter-terrorism activities and criminal violence.”
“The United Kingdom is proud to stand alongside Lebanon and its security institutions. This Memorandum of Understanding reflects our shared commitment to a more secure, stable and resilient Lebanon, and to supporting professional state institutions, such as the Lebanese Army and ISF that serve and protect the Lebanese people,” British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell said.
The British Embassy noted that the UK “has been a close partner of the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces since 2009.”
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