The U.S. has approved $230 million in aid for Lebanon’s armed and internal security forces, aiming to strengthen state control as pressure mounts on Hezbollah to disarm.
Of the total, $190 million is allocated to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and $40 million to the Internal Security Forces. Democratic congressional aides noted the timing of the release, just before the U.S. fiscal year ended on 30 September, highlighting the significance of the aid for a small country such as Lebanon.
The funding comes amid a year-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has left large areas of Lebanon in ruins and increased international pressure on the Iran-backed group to surrender its weapons.
President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asked the U.S.-backed army in August to prepare a plan for ensuring all arms are held by security forces by year-end.
The Lebanese source said the aid will allow the Internal Security Forces to focus on internal security while the LAF tackles other critical missions.
Hezbollah has so far rejected calls to disarm, but faces growing pressure both domestically and internationally.
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The United States and Iran have traded fresh strikes, with the U.S. hitting military sites and Iran launching missiles and drones at bases and ships near the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping remains active, but tensions are rising as calls grow for restraint and renewed talks.
U.S. Donald Trump has said he has cancelled planned strikes on Iranian oil and gas ports announced earlier on Thursday. Trump said he made the decision after senior leadership in Iran agreed to peace talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned that Israel’s military operations in Syria and Lebanon have escalated to a point where they could threaten Türkiye, describing Israel’s actions as “aggression” that poses a broader global risk.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has warned that escalating conflict in Iran and the wider region is placing multiple World Heritage sites at risk, with reports of damage to historic monuments caused by nearby airstrikes and shockwaves.
Pakistan has warned that any attempt by India to block or significantly reduce river flows under the Indus Waters Treaty could have “far-reaching consequences”, after India's water minister said New Delhi was working to ensure that “not a single drop” of water reaches Pakistan in the coming years.
Armenia has every right to choose Europe. But Europe’s support for Armenia’s direction should not become automatic approval of its political process.
The U.S. and Iran say they have reached a deal to end their conflict, with an immediate ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. Talks will continue over the next 60 days to finalise the agreement
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a peace agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday in a post on social media, despite Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying no deal would be approved this weekend.
Japan’s birth rate and fertility levels have fallen to their lowest levels on record, highlighting the country’s worsening demographic crisis as fewer people marry and have children.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, 14 June about efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine, as world leaders prepare to gather for the G7 summit in France.
All 12 people on board a plane that crashed near Butler Memorial Airport in the U.S. state of Missouri have died, according to local authorities.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Geneva on Sunday, 14 June ahead of this week's G7 summit in neighbouring France, but a largely peaceful demonstration later descended into clashes with police.
Veteran U.S. politician Mitch McConnell has been admitted to hospital in Washington, DC, according to his office.
British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson said he was detained by police at Heathrow Airport on Saturday, 13 June and had his mobile phone seized, days after posting extensively online about racist and anti-immigrant unrest in Northern Ireland.
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