For the second day in a row, US President Donald Trump reiterated yesterday that "nobody can say now if the devastating explosion in Beirut was the result of an attack or because of an accident," casting doubt on the nature of this explosion.
After the US Defense Department reservations about Trump's statements, in which he said that "some generals told him that the Beirut explosion was caused by a bomb," White House chief of staff Mark Meadows explained that the US government does not rule out the bloody explosion that occurred in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, as a result of an attack.
"We hope it will be just a tragic accident and not a terrorist act, but we are still looking at all the information on this," Meadows said in an interview with CNN - when asked about the US President's statements.
An Arab diplomat in Washington, who declined to be named, spoke to Al-Jazeera Net about Trump's contradictions with the staffs of the defense and foreign ministries, and he said that it should not be taken seriously, adding that Trump cannot say that he does not know or is waiting for reports of a crisis or development to occur. "He always has an answer."
And the Arab diplomat considered that Trump fell in a slip of the tongue, "and perhaps he will not back down after a long time, but he will not apologize for his miscalculation."
Lebanon is an American dilemma and
since President Trump's arrival at the White House, Lebanon has continued to receive military and economic aid from the United States, totaling close to a billion dollars.
The following table shows the volume of this aid annually:
For fiscal year 2021, Trump asked for $ 133 million in aid for Lebanon (46% less than what Congress gave Lebanon in fiscal year 2020).
Washington aims to provide aid to "strengthen the internal Lebanese forces that can help counter Iranian influence in Lebanon through a variety of military and economic aid programs," according to a recent study released by the Congressional Research Service.
The priorities of US security assistance reflect growing concern about the possibility of Sunni jihadist groups such as "the Islamic State" targeting Lebanon, as well as old US concerns about Hezbollah and maintaining the qualitative military edge of Israel.
The congressional study stated that "American economic assistance aims to promote democracy, stability and economic growth, especially in light of the challenges posed by the conflict in neighboring Syria."
Congress sets several conditions before the annual disbursement of US aid to Lebanon in an effort to prevent misuse or transfer of American equipment to Hezbollah or other groups that Washington considers terrorist groups.
The United States has pledged urgent assistance to counter the effects of the Beirut explosion, and this assistance will not be counted as part of the previously agreed aid.
Aid to the Lebanese Army Hezbollah's
participation in the Syrian conflict in support of the Bashar al-Assad regime led to the assumption of strengthening the military capabilities of the party, which the United States considers a terrorist organization.
The participation of Hezbollah ministers in the Lebanese government increased the concern of many members of Congress about the feasibility of continuing to provide American assistance to the Lebanese army.
During the past three fiscal years, Congress has allocated - on average - $ 113.5 million annually over the President's request.
Since the United States began providing military assistance to the Lebanese army in the wake of the 2006 summer war between Israel and Hezbollah, policymakers and foreign policy experts have discussed the effectiveness of this aid.
American military leaders have repeatedly testified before Congress that the assistance provided to the Lebanese army enhances US-Lebanese cooperation and increases the Lebanese government's ability to combat terrorism.
Among the most important weapons that Washington provides to the Lebanese army are light attack helicopters, armored vehicles, and night vision devices.
On the other hand, critics of this support believe that American aid to the Lebanese army may fall into the hands of Hezbollah or other terrorist groups.
And opponents of US aid in Congress affirm that "Hezbollah and the Lebanese army have cooperated more closely both militarily and politically along the Lebanese-Syrian border."
In 2019, the Trump administration withheld $ 105 million earmarked for the Lebanese army as part of a comprehensive political review of the effectiveness of its military aid program to Lebanon.
In the same year, a number of members of the House of Representatives and the Senate submitted a bill in the name of “fighting Hezbollah within the Lebanese army for the year 2019 ″, according to which it would withhold 20% of American military aid to the Lebanese army unless the American president can certify that the Lebanese army is taking steps Measurable to limit Hezbollah's influence within its forces.
Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense opposed the reduction of military aid, and described the Lebanese army as a "stable institution that helps stabilize Lebanon, the partner country of the United States in confronting Sunni Islamist extremist groups."
In December 2019, the Government Accountability Office released its review on US security assistance to Lebanon, and concluded that "the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense confirmed progress in achieving security goals in Lebanon, but there are some information gaps, which limits their ability to fully assess the results of Security-related activities. "