Tired of waiting
U.S. Congress Proposes Steps to Pressure Lebanon to Act on Hezbollah
Bill would suspend American aid to Lebanon if concrete progress is not maid to dismantle Hezbollah by July. Ending Assad-era sanctions on Syria also addressed, if new government meets certain conditions.
The U.S. Congress is moving forward with legislation that would place unprecedented pressure on Lebanon to confront Hezbollah, conditioning American military assistance on the Lebanese Armed Forces’ willingness to take measurable action against the group. The proposal, known as the PAGER Act, was introduced by Rep. Greg Steube of Florida.
Under the draft bill, the Secretary of Defense must submit a detailed assessment to Congress by the end of June evaluating whether the LAF has made concrete progress toward dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure. If Lebanon is found to have refused to act, the law would authorize an immediate suspension of U.S. support. The intention is to move beyond years of largely symbolic warnings and make continued aid explicitly dependent on compliance.
The introduction of the bill marks a notable shift in Washington’s posture toward Beirut. While previous administrations have urged Lebanese authorities to curb Hezbollah’s power, the group has remained militarily dominant and politically untouchable. By tying American aid directly to Beirut’s actions, lawmakers are attempting to force a break with longstanding Lebanese policy.
The legislation also contains a separate track focused on Syria. It outlines conditions under which U.S. sanctions against the Assad regime could be eased, provided Damascus meets several benchmarks. These include stopping the recruitment and transit of foreign fighters inside Syria, ending support for extremist groups, and halting activities viewed as threatening to Israel. The bill would require biannual presidential reports detailing Syrian compliance.
Steube’s proposal fits within a broader congressional trend of seeking stronger leverage in the region. Supporters argue that U.S. military assistance to Lebanon has yielded limited results, pointing to Hezbollah’s entrenched presence and the LAF’s reluctance to confront it. Opponents caution that cutting aid could weaken the only institution capable of counterbalancing Hezbollah, however imperfectly.
If passed, the legislation would present Lebanon with a stark choice: demonstrate action against Hezbollah or risk losing a major source of foreign military assistance. The Syrian provisions signal that Washington is also prepared to link sanctions relief to tangible behavioral shifts from Damascus, not rhetorical commitments.