Sources: US Congress Prepares Bill to Halt Assistance to Lebanon

Hezbollah fighters hold flags as they attend a memorial in Tefahta village, south Lebanon, on Feb. 13, 2016. AP
Hezbollah fighters hold flags as they attend a memorial in Tefahta village, south Lebanon, on Feb. 13, 2016. AP
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Sources: US Congress Prepares Bill to Halt Assistance to Lebanon

Hezbollah fighters hold flags as they attend a memorial in Tefahta village, south Lebanon, on Feb. 13, 2016. AP
Hezbollah fighters hold flags as they attend a memorial in Tefahta village, south Lebanon, on Feb. 13, 2016. AP

The US Congress prepares to discuss a bill aimed at prohibiting US assistance to the Lebanese government if Hezbollah continues to control or influence decision-making in Lebanon.

“It is not easy to approve this bill because Congress members are not united and because it requires several signatures before becoming a bill,” sources at the Lebanese Embassy in Washington told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday.

In order to become a bill, it should first be approved by the Committee on Foreign Relations and later pass the Senate and House before making its way to President Donald Trump's office for his signature.

“Normally, the US administration rejects bills that could produce divisions among the Lebanese, but that does not mean it supports Hezbollah’s arms,” the embassy sources said.

They revealed that US non-military assistance to Lebanon remains shy and is directed at the medical and educational sectors.

“If such a bill is approved, which is highly unlikely, it would not be the first of its kind,” the sources said.

They added that similar bills were approved by the US administration, including the listing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and the prohibition of its members to open bank accounts in dollars.



Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
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Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had struck "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, the first targeted killing in the area for several months.

In a statement, Israel's military did not give the identity of the targeted person. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

Lebanese state media said a car had been hit near Tripoli and the health ministry reported two people were killed and three others wounded, without identifying them, Reuters reported.

Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in camps that have housed displaced Palestinians for decades.

Since Hamas' cross-border attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel in 2023, Israel has carried out targeted strikes on Lebanese armed group Hezbollah as well as members of Palestinian factions in Lebanon.

Hamas' deputy chief was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs in early 2024, and other strikes hit Palestinian camps in northern Lebanon.

A US-brokered ceasefire last year ended the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, though Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon.

Tuesday's strike near Tripoli was the first time a targeted assassination had taken place in the area since the truce.

Meanwhile, US envoy Thomas Barrack continued a two-day visit to Lebanon to discuss disarming Hezbollah and other militant groups.