Lebanon Army Says Soldiers Loyal after US Sanctions One over Alleged Hezbollah Links

Lebanon’s military said Friday its soldiers were loyal to the institution after the US announced sanctions that included, for the first time, an army officer accused of sharing information with Hezbollah. In a statement, the army said it “affirms that all officers and members of the military institution are performing their national duties with utmost professionalism, responsibility, and discipline, in accordance with the decisions and directives issued by the army command”. It emphasized that “the loyalty of military personnel is solely to the military institution and the nation, and that they are committed to fulfilling their national duties without any other considerations or pressures”, also saying it was not informed of the sanctions beforehand. Washington on Thursday sanctioned what it called nine Hezbollah-linked individuals in Lebanon, including army colonel Samir Hamadi, and Khattar Nasser Eldin, an officer at another state security service. The US said Hamadi and Nasser Eldin “shared important intelligence” with Hezbollah over the past year. It marked the first time Lebanese officers have been sanctioned by the United States. Hezbollah on Thursday condemned the sanctions, calling them “an attempt to intimidate the free Lebanese people in order to bolster the Zionist aggression against our country”.