Lebanon’s Army Commander Conducts Third Visit to US since His Appointment

 US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard stands next to Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun in Hamat Air Base in Lebanon’s mountains on October 31, 2017. (REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim)
US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard stands next to Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun in Hamat Air Base in Lebanon’s mountains on October 31, 2017. (REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim)
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Lebanon’s Army Commander Conducts Third Visit to US since His Appointment

 US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard stands next to Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun in Hamat Air Base in Lebanon’s mountains on October 31, 2017. (REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim)
US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard stands next to Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun in Hamat Air Base in Lebanon’s mountains on October 31, 2017. (REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim)

The visit of Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun to the United States reflected a US commitment to empower the Lebanese Army and develop its military capabilities, as a strategic partner of the US military in the region to fight terrorism.

Aoun began on Monday an official visit to the United States, during which he will meet with a number of military and civilian officials to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation between the armies of the two countries.

This is the third visit of the LAF commander to Washington since taking office in the spring of 2017. Aoun made his first visit after taking command of the army and the second when he was honored after the successful battle against terrorist organizations on the eastern border with Syria.

Well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the recent visit “confirmed that there was no change in the US policy towards Lebanon, contrary to claims that emerged over the past months that Washington was reviewing its support to the Lebanese army.”

“The US army regards the Lebanese military as a strategic partner in the region and in the efforts to fight terrorism and consolidate stability,” the sources said.

“Washington believes that investing in Lebanon’s security is made through the army because it represents the first line of defense against terrorism,” the sources added.

Military sources said the visit was aimed to review and evaluate the US assistance to Lebanon, determine its effectiveness and the need for future additional aid to the army.



Al-Sharaa Welcomes Abbas on First Visit to Damascus in 16 Years

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomes Palestinian counterpart in Damascus (Syrian Presidency)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomes Palestinian counterpart in Damascus (Syrian Presidency)
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Al-Sharaa Welcomes Abbas on First Visit to Damascus in 16 Years

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomes Palestinian counterpart in Damascus (Syrian Presidency)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomes Palestinian counterpart in Damascus (Syrian Presidency)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on Friday, marking Abbas’s first visit to the Syrian capital in nearly 16 years.

Al-Sharaa greeted Abbas at the entrance of the Presidential Palace, and the two leaders walked side by side along a red carpet, according to an AFP correspondent.

Al-Sharaa held talks with Abbas and his accompanying delegation on Friday in Damascus, in the presence of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, the presidency said.

The visit is Abbas’s first to Syria since June 2009 and aims to discuss ways to strengthen Palestinian-Syrian ties, ease administrative procedures for Palestinians living in Syria, and address shared security concerns, a Syrian government source told AFP.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), around 560,000 Palestinians lived in Syria before the outbreak of conflict in 2011. The agency now estimates that number at about 438,000, with more than 40% internally displaced.

Abbas’s visit to Damascus carries exceptional significance due to the complex Palestinian landscape in Syria, observers in the capital told Germany’s DPA news agency.

Analysts noted that the visit comes against the backdrop of a sensitive file involving Palestinian factions that were previously aligned with the former regime and have since had their offices and military posts shut down.

Abbas is expected to raise several key issues, including bilateral relations, the situation of Palestinians in Syria—whose number is currently estimated at more than half a million—and the reconstruction of Yarmouk camp, widely considered the capital of the Palestinian diaspora.

Abbas is accompanied by Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, and committee member Ahmad Majdalani. It is his first trip to Syria since President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.

His last visit to Damascus was in 2009, when he met Assad as part of a regional tour that also included Saudi Arabia.

In the years following Syria’s civil war, Abbas maintained indirect contact with Damascus, sending messages to Assad through Palestinian officials—the most recent in June 2024.