Lebanese president expects Egyptian military support

Lebanon expects military and intelligence assistance from Egypt, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said after his talks with President Abdel-Fatteh el-Sisi in Cairo Tuesday. At a joint news conference ending the visit, he urged both countries to work on finding solutions for the crises in the Arab world, including Syria. El-Sisi said that Egypt would support the Lebanese army and “its various security organizations,” after Aoun defended Hizballah’s preeminent military role in his country.

DEBKAfile adds: The Aoun visit to Cairo was to have fitted in with a new US drive to downgrade the pro-Iran Hizballah, which was put on the table of the talks between US President Donald Trump and visiting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Washington Wednesday. Mike Flynn was put in charge of the operation, but his resignation as National Security Adviser leaves the plan hanging fire.