“To prohibit the availability of Federal funds to support the Armed Forces of Lebanon, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section prohibits federal funds from being appropriated or made available to the Lebanese armed forces beginning 60 days after enactment until the Secretary of State certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that: (1) the Government of Lebanon, including the Chamber of Deputies, no longer recognizes Hezbollah, Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, or Amal as legitimate political parties and does not permit ministers or cabinet-level officials from or allied with those groups; (2) Hezbollah no longer maintains any presence in Lebanon, pursuant to Lebanese Armed Forces and internal security forces implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (2004), which calls for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias; (3) such implementation includes expelling Hezbollah from known strongholds; (4) the Lebanese Armed Forces and internal security forces have increased their presence in Hezbollah strongholds to prevent resurgence; (5) the Lebanese Armed Forces maintain no coordination, collaboration, or support with Hezbollah, its affiliates, or other U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations present in Lebanon; (6) no Lebanese Armed Forces member coordinates with or receives support from any agent, affiliate, or entity owned or controlled by the Iranian regime or Hezbollah; (7) any prior Iranian military aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces, including weapons, ammunition, munitions, or equipment, is destroyed or disarmed; and (8) Lebanese courts and military tribunals dismiss all charges and arrest warrants against American citizens advocating against Hezbollah influence, including journalists appearing on Israeli media or hosting Israeli guests.
This section prohibits, effective 60 days after enactment, the obligation or expenditure of federal funds made available to the United Nations Development Programme for any livelihood support programs providing assistance to members of the Lebanese armed forces or Lebanese internal security forces.
This section designates Suhil Bahij Gharab as a specially designated global terrorist organization under E.O. 13224 (relating to blocking property and prohibiting transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism). (Thus, all property and interests in property of the organization that are in the United States or in the possession of U.S. persons are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from transactions with it.)
This section requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the influences of Hezbollah and the Government of Iran throughout the Government of Lebanon, including the Lebanese Ministry of Defense—not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter.
This section defines the term "appropriate congressional committees" as (1) the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Armed Services and (2) the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Armed Services.