British troops in Lebanon training its army as Israeli strikes kill over 100

Smoke billows over southern Lebanon following Israeli strikes, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Tyre on September 23, 2024. (Reuters)

• Lebanese envoy to UK: Armed forces will not ‘stand idly’ by if Israel invades

LONDON: Dozens of British troops are in Lebanon to train and advise the country’s armed forces as part of a sensitive mission, The Times reported on Monday.
The report comes as the Israeli military said it struck 300 Hezbollah targets on Monday in Lebanon in one of the most intense barrages of airstrikes in nearly a year of fighting against the group.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said 182 people were killed and more than 700 wounded in what would be the deadliest day in Lebanon since the Gaza war started last October.
There have been no changes to the scale of the program in recent days despite the risk of all-out war, The Times reported, citing UK defense sources.
The Lebanese ambassador to the UK, Rami Mortada, said: “The British Army is a very close partner to the Lebanese armed forces. They have been very active on training, providing equipment and technical advice.
“Specifically on the situation in south Lebanon, the UK was also very proactive in trying to play its role in what we refer to as the de-escalation scheme.”
The scheme is led by the US and considers how to prevent an escalation of skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah near the Israel-Lebanon border, Mortada said.
Lebanon’s armed forces have been trained by the UK for years, although little is known about the program.
The British government has long hoped that by building up the capacity of the armed forces, they would be in a stronger position to maintain security than Hezbollah.
Mortada has said the armed forces would not “stand idly” by if Israel carries out a ground war on Lebanese territory or mounts an extensive aerial attack.
A conflict between Israel and Lebanon would put British diplomats in an extremely difficult position because the UK has tried to maintain a positive relationship with both countries.
UK officials are understood to be considering whether they would assist Israel and help protect its skies should it come under attack as a result of an invasion of Lebanon.
Protecting Israel against a defensive attack carried out by the Lebanese armed forces would be more complicated than responding to an attack by Iran.
Highlighting the deep Lebanese-British relationship, Mortada said the UK has also offered to help his country replicate a “watchtower” scheme along its southern border with Israel — a program that is currently in place along Lebanon’s eastern border to keep watch on Daesh militants.
Under the old watchtower scheme, the UK helped to ship 9 meter towers to Lebanon. Lebanese soldiers, mentored by British veterans, were using the positions to catch or kill hundreds of terrorists trying to cross the border from Syria every month.
Mortada said another option under review with the British is whether they could help train and empower new Lebanese armed forces border regiments that could be sent to the south of the country.
He added that they are currently “over-stretched” and want a more visible and active presence in the south, where clashes with Israel have intensified since the war in Gaza started.
“All the ingredients are coming together for having such a de-escalation scheme, except the Israelis seem to be heading towards the exact opposite direction,” Mortada said.