Key facts
- The Lebanese army estimates its short- and medium-term needs at approximately $3 billion.
- A preparatory meeting in Paris on September 17, 2026, aimed to discuss support for the Lebanese Armed Forces.
- Senior Lebanese government and military sources stated that the Paris meeting yielded little concrete assistance.
- Jordan provided the only tangible, though modest, assistance following the Paris meeting.
- The Lebanese army's plan includes enhancing combat readiness, critical capabilities, and salaries.
- The army's strategic objectives include consolidating state security, modernizing forces, and achieving a monopoly on arms.
Nearly two years after a November 2024 cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel, the Lebanese Armed Forces are seeking approximately $3 billion to meet expanded responsibilities, but international support has been limited. The army has been tasked with extending state authority across Lebanon, particularly in the south, and preparing to assume wider duties as the UN peacekeeping mission, Unifil, approaches the end of its mandate in late 2026.
A preparatory meeting held in Paris on September 17, 2026, involving representatives from 17 countries, aimed to discuss support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces. However, senior Lebanese government and military sources described the outcome as lacking significant financial commitments or a timetable for a full donor conference. The only tangible assistance reported came from Jordan, which was viewed as relatively modest.
The discrepancy between the army's needs and the offered assistance is critical as international governments urge Lebanon to extend state authority and bring weapons under official control, away from armed groups like Hezbollah. The army's own documents outline a five-year program addressing political, financial, security, and operational pressures, including the country's economic crisis, a shrinking defense budget, and the potential consequences of a reduced international presence.
The army's plan prioritizes consolidating state security, border control, restructuring and modernization, national resilience, and human resource capacity. Specific financial requirements include funds for enhanced combat readiness, critical capabilities, salaries, assuming responsibilities from the Unifil Maritime Task Force, and extending border control towards Syria and for post-Unifil border defense. The army's presentation also highlights challenges such as declining salaries, loss of skilled personnel, cyber threats, and an expanding mission list, leading to what it terms 'mission overstretch'.
Achieving the objective of a state monopoly on arms, a key point in international discussions, is seen as dependent on a more capable military institution. The army argues it cannot assume greater responsibilities without adequate personnel, funding, infrastructure, and capabilities. The cessation of hostilities agreement in November 2024 stipulated that only official Lebanese state personnel could carry arms south of the Litani River, a phase the army announced completion of in January 2026, though acknowledging outstanding issues and Israeli occupation in some areas.