WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Top US military officer General Dan Caine met with Rodolphe Haykal this week, a spokesman said Thursday, after a previously planned visit by the Lebanese army commander to Washington was scrapped. Haykal was scheduled to visit Washington in November 2025, but the trip was called off after US political and military officials canceled their meetings with him just hours before he was scheduled to depart, a military source told AFP at the time. Those who canceled included influential Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who at the time slammed what he said was Haykal's "almost non-existent effort to disarm Hezbollah." On Thursday, Graham said on X he had abruptly cut their meeting short after asking Haykal whether the Lebanese military considered Hezbollah to be "a terrorist organization." The Lebanese military announced last month that it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the militant group, covering the area between the Israeli border and the Litani River.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha February 06, 2026 09:23 UTC