November 26, 2019
US Senator Chris Murphy on Monday arrived on an unannounced visit to Lebanon, where he met the Army Commander General Joseph Aoun.
In a tweet, the US senator said he arrived in Lebanon to ‘assess’ American military aid to the country.
He stressed that the administration of President Donald Trump cannot withhold any assistance already authorized by Congress, after reports said that Trump’s administration has been withholding some $105 million in security assistance to Lebanon that was already authorized by Congress.
“I just arrived in Lebanon to see firsthand the efficacy of US aid to the Lebanese military, a force for stability here at an unstable moment,” Murphy said via Twitter.
“Important: the aid is congressionally mandated. Like the Ukraine aid, by law it cannot be withheld by POTUS [the president of the United States]. Stay tuned for more.”
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that Murphy was received by General Joseph Aoun at his office in the Defense Ministry in Yarzeh. The US senator was heading a delegation that included US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard, according to NNA.
According to reports in multiple US media outlets, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has not given the approval to release the funds, which the Congress allocated for the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the OMB is holding up the aid at the direction of the National Security Council, another department within the White House.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian 
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