Relationship dossier
Lebanon
United States
Relationship assessment
Substantive U.S. assistance and mediation underpin a cooperative but regionally complicated relationship.
Lebanon toward United States
+20The Lebanese government has engaged in security cooperation with the United States and accepted the U.S.-mediated 2022 maritime boundary arrangement with Israel, which resolved a significant issue affecting Lebanon’s offshore claims.
United States toward Lebanon
+35The United States provides substantial assistance to Lebanon, including support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, and mediated the 2022 maritime boundary arrangement between Lebanon and Israel. U.S. sanctions targeting Hezbollah-related actors are also a source of friction.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship combines sustained U.S. security and other assistance with diplomatic engagement, including U.S. mediation of the 2022 maritime boundary arrangement. Regional security disagreements and U.S. sanctions connected to Hezbollah complicate cooperation, while the Lebanese government’s security engagement and participation in the mediated arrangement provide concrete grounds for continued ties.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Lebanon and the United States maintain substantive cooperation, particularly through U.S. assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces and U.S. diplomatic mediation of the 2022 maritime boundary agreement between Lebanon and Israel. Cooperation is complicated by U.S. sanctions related to Hezbollah and differing approaches to regional security. Lebanese government cooperation with the United States includes security engagement and acceptance of the U.S.-mediated maritime arrangement.
Areas of tension
- U.S. sanctions targeting Hezbollah-related actors and associated concerns about Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanon.
- Differences over regional security and the role of armed groups outside Lebanese state control.
Key developments
The United States mediated a maritime boundary arrangement between Lebanon and Israel, which Lebanon accepted.
The United States continued substantial assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and continuity of Lebanese government security cooperation with the United States are unclear.
- The practical effects of U.S. sanctions and assistance on bilateral cooperation are uncertain.