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BEIRUT — The United States is working to establish "vetted units" in the Lebanese army to enable it to dismantle Hezbollah, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday, as Israel and the Iran-backed militant group continue to exchange fire in southern Lebanon, threatening a fragile ceasefire.
What happened: In an interview with Fox News on Monday evening, Rubio claimed both Israel and Lebanon agree on the need to have a strong Lebanese army capable of removing Hezbollah's weapons.
"And that’s what we’re working toward establishing — [a] system that actually works where vetted units within the Lebanese Armed Forces have the training, the equipment and the capability to go after elements of Hezbollah and dismantle them so Israel doesn’t have to do it," he said.
It's not clear how such a program would be funded. The Pentagon has requested $36 million for fiscal year 2027 to support training and equipping Lebanon’s armed forces under its program to counter the Islamic State.
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