Lebanese army chief visit to US cancelled amid tensions over Hezbollah disarmament

A scheduled visit by Lebanese Army Commander General Rudolphe Haykal to the United States was cancelled following criticism from Republican officials who accused him of failing to make progress in disarming Hezbollah.

The Lebanese embassy in Washington announced in an email the cancellation of the reception that had been scheduled Tuesday in honour of Haykal, confirming that it would "contact the invitees to inform them of any new date once it is set."

Some reports claimed that Haykal himself decided to cancel the visit after some American lawmakers expressed discontent with the pace under which the Lebanese army was disarming Hezbollah, a which the US considers a terrorist group.

The US is the biggest donor to the Lebanese army and brokered last year’s ceasefire deal between Beirut and Tel Aviv, which calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south of the country.

The November deal also stipulates that Israel withdraw from Lebanese territory, which Israel has refused to do before Hezbollah is fully disarmed.

Israeli forces still occupy several border posts deemed strategic and frequently carries out deadly strikes which they claim are targeting Hezbollah. Lebanese leaders have urged the US to pressure Israel to halt these strikes and leave south Lebanon, but this has not yielded results.

Haykal comes under fire

A Lebanese army statement Sunday had lambasted Israel for its ongoing attacks, saying Israeli violations of the ceasefire were hindering the Lebanese military’s work.

"The Israeli enemy persists in its violations of Lebanese sovereignty, causing instability in Lebanon and hindering the completion of the army's deployment in the south. The latest of these reprehensible attacks targeted a UNIFIL patrol on November 16, 2025.

"The army command affirms that it is working in coordination with friendly nations to put an end to the ongoing violations and breaches by the Israeli enemy, which necessitate immediate action as they constitute a dangerous escalation."

The statement drew ire from Israel’s close allies in the US Congress, who have given Tel Aviv unwavering support throughout its two-year military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, and elsewhere in the region.

Among them was Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernest, who said she was "disappointed" by the statement.

The Lebanese Armed Forces "are a strategic partner, and — as I discussed with the CHOD [Haykal] in August — Israel has given Lebanon a real opportunity to free itself from Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists," she wrote on X.

"Instead of seizing that opportunity and working together to disarm Hezbollah, the CHOD is shamefully directing blame at Israel."

Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Israel, shared Ernest's post and described the Lebanese army’s statement as a "giant setback."

"It is clear that the Lebanese Chief Head of Defence -- because of a reference to Israel as the enemy and his weak almost non-existent effort to disarm Hezbollah -- is a giant setback for efforts to move Lebanon forward.

"This combination makes the Lebanese Armed Forces not a very good investment for America," he too wrote on X.

American sources told Lebanese broadcaster LBCI that they hoped the visit would be rescheduled, "and that matters will return to the right track, provided that the necessary reforms are implemented — namely the approval of the required financial reforms, accelerating the process of placing all weapons under the authority of the state, and other needed measures."

'Defamation campaign'

Lebanese army sources told The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that Haykal decided to cancel the three-day visit because of the attacks directed at him by US officials, and after being informed that some of the scheduled meetings had been cancelled.

The sources said that what is happening "falls within the context of Israeli smear campaigns and attacks on [Lebanese] state institutions."

The sources also said that the Lebanese army would continue with its plan to place all weapons under the state’s authority according to a previously agreed on timetable.

The army was tasked by the Lebanese government in August to draw up a framework on how to disarm Hezbollah in line with the ceasefire agreement, and the plan was approved by the Lebanese cabinet in September.

The plan was to remain confidential but some of its clauses were leaked by the media. It would see the army gradually disarm Hezbollah in five stages, starting from south of the Litani River, close to the Israeli border, before moving to other parts of the country.

Already stretched under a years-long financial crisis and ongoing Israeli strikes, Lebanon’s Armed Forces, backed by UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL), have reportedly already dismantled hundreds of installations and weapons caches south of the Litani.

Their mission in that region is supposed to wrap up by year’s end before proceeding north of the river.

Despite this, Israel in recent weeks has claimed that Lebanon was "dragging its feet" and has accused Hezbollah of re-arming in the south and recruiting "thousands" of new fighters. Israeli officials have said Israel will forcefully rid the group of its weapons if the Lebanese army fails to do so.

Fears of a renewed offensive have weighed on Lebanon, with near-daily reports in Israeli media that Tel Aviv was mobilising its troops at the border and preparing for another war.

Hezbollah was significantly weakened following the war with Israel in 2024, with most of its top leadership killed. But the group has publicly rejected calls to disarm, saying Israel must first leave south Lebanon, stop its attacks, and release prisoners of war first.

It has lashed out at the Lebanese government for deploying troops south of the Litani and dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons and has rejected US calls for Beirut to negotiate directly with Tel Aviv.

Beirut has pledged to end military dualism, insisting that only the state should have the authority to decide matters of war and peace.