EU Aid for Lebanon
EU Approves €100 Million Aid for Lebanese Army Amid Fragile Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire
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The European Union has approved an additional €100 million support package for the Lebanese armed forces to strengthen the Lebanese state during a fragile, conditional ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the ceasefire offers a chance to prevent renewed full-scale hostilities, but the death of a UNIFIL peacekeeper and ongoing skirmishes show the agreement remains tenuous. She argued the best way to reduce the threat posed by Hezbollah is to empower Lebanon’s institutions and restore the army’s monopoly on the use of force, with the EU aid raising its recent defense assistance total to €182 million. The funding, drawn from the European Peace Facility, is intended to expand operational capabilities, including training and equipment to help the army secure and monitor sovereign territory—especially along southern borders—along with priorities such as maritime security, surveillance systems, infrastructure protection, and medical support for personnel. Hezbollah has rejected the ceasefire as a sham, while Israel has continued strikes and threats toward Beirut despite the diplomatic effort.
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Israel and Lebanon’s conditional ceasefire was also described by Lebanon’s president as the “last chance” for a durable end to the fighting, even as Israel carried out strikes in Lebanon and threatened Beirut.
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UNIFIL said the death came after a base was hit on Wednesday in southern Lebanon, where it described fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah; one peacekeeper was killed and two others were wounded.
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EU materials cited by i24news said the €100 million package is intended to “significantly scale up” the Lebanese military’s operational capabilities and is structured around five distinct priorities, including improving maritime security and “multidomain surveillance radar systems.”
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i24news reported the program also includes bolstering healthcare assistance for Lebanese personnel, noting they remain “heavily stretched by the compounding economic and security crises gripping the country.”
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