U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a sharply worded letter to Lebanon on Wednesday urging the  Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to accelerate the implementation of the US-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel or face a possible “reasssment” of US military aid.

“We are at a critical moment in Lebanon. The Lebanese people have an opportunity to break Iran’s stranglehold on Beirut,” they wrote.

The lawmakers expressed frustration over the LAF’s “too slow” implementation of the fulfillment of the ceasefire conditions.

“The US should be prepared to expand assistance to the LAF to support expeditious fulfillment of the ceasefire obligations. However, any LAF hesitancy to meet the security challenges in the south would be deeply concerning and force the United States to re-evaluate its approach,” they threatened.

The White House told Al Arabiya English that the US would judge the new Lebanese government based on whether it acts against “the finances and terrorist capabilities of Hezbollah, to ensure that Hezbollah can never again incite a destructive war with Israel or any of Lebanon’s other neighbors.”

It should be noted that Hezbollah long ago infiltrated the highest echelons of the Lebanese Army, which has not only failed to implement the ceasefire but has even assisted the terror group.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)