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Trump administration finally releases $105M in Lebanon military aid

Lebanese army soldiers with the 6th Brigade standing on a tank ion the Syrian-Lebanese border on August 28, 2017.
Lebanese army soldiers with the 6th Brigade on the Syrian-Lebanese border in 2017. Photo: Patrick Baz/AFP via Getty Images

A senior Trump administration official confirmed Monday that $105 million in military aid to Lebanon was released after it was delayed for months without explanation.

The big picture: The administration has not disclosed the reason why the congressionally approved aid, which had "overwhelming support from the Pentagon, State Department and National Security Council," was held up since September, per AP.

What they're saying: Officials would not confirm precisely when the aid was released, but sources told AP it was "just before the Thanksgiving holiday and lawmakers were notified of the step on Monday."

  • Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last week compared the holdup to the withholding of military aid for Ukraine that triggered the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
  • However, officials told AP there had been no allegation that Trump had asked Lebanon for "a favor" from Lebanon in return for the aid, unlike the Ukraine quid pro quo allegations — which the president denies and which Republicans on the House committees investigating the controversy concluded did not happen, per a report reviewed by Axios Monday.

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