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.



Influential Far-right Minister Lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza War Policy

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, also attended by Argentine President Javier Milei (not pictured), in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, also attended by Argentine President Javier Milei (not pictured), in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025
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Influential Far-right Minister Lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza War Policy

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, also attended by Argentine President Javier Milei (not pictured), in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, also attended by Argentine President Javier Milei (not pictured), in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized on Sunday a cabinet decision to allow some aid into Gaza as a "grave mistake" that he said would benefit the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

Smotrich also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to ensure that Israel's military is following government directives in prosecuting the war against Hamas in Gaza. He said he was considering his "next steps" but stopped short of explicitly threatening to quit the coalition, Reuters reported.

Smotrich's comments come a day before Netanyahu is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire.

"... the cabinet and the Prime Minister made a grave mistake yesterday in approving the entry of aid through a route that also benefits Hamas," Smotrich said on X, arguing that the aid would ultimately reach the Islamist group and serve as "logistical support for the enemy during wartime".

The Israeli government has not announced any changes to its aid policy in Gaza. Israeli media reported that the government had voted to allow additional aid to enter northern Gaza.

The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The military declined to comment.

Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid for its own fighters or to sell to finance its operations, an accusation Hamas denies. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, with conditions threatening to push nearly a half a million people into famine within months, according to UN estimates.

Israel in May partially lifted a nearly three-month blockade on aid. Two Israeli officials said on June 27 the government had temporarily stopped aid from entering north Gaza.

PRESSURE

Public pressure in Israel is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire, a move opposed by some hardline members of his right-wing coalition. An Israeli team left for Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Smotrich, who in January threatened to withdraw his Religious Zionism party from the government if Israel agreed to a complete end to the war before having achieved its objectives, did not mention the ceasefire in his criticism of Netanyahu.

The right-wing coalition holds a slim parliamentary majority, although some opposition lawmakers have offered to support the government from collapsing if a ceasefire is agreed.