Washington: The US Department of War (DoW) has approved a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package for Lebanon, valued at approximately USD 14.2 million, to enhance the military capabilities of the country's armed forces.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the PDA package aims to strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) by equipping them to dismantle weapons caches and military infrastructure of non-state groups, including Hezbollah. The DoW statement highlighted that this initiative will enable the LAF to conduct patrols and safely remove and dispose of deadly unexploded ordnance (UXO) and Hezbollah weapons caches. This effort supports the November 2024 Cessation of Hostilities between Lebanon and the Israeli occupation.
The DoW emphasized that the PDA package is intended to empower the LAF in degrading Hezbollah, aligning with the US Administration's priority to counter Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the region. The capabilities provided in this announcement include shaped charges, demolition charges, detonating cords, electric and non-electric blasting caps, time blasting fuse igniters, time blasting fuse igniters with shock tubes, time blasting fuses, generators, and transportation equipment.