Lebanese army commander calls on CDF Munir, discusses regional security environment

The Lebanese army commander held a meeting with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Tuesday, during which the two exchanged views on the evolving regional security environment. The military’s media affairs wing said in a statement that Lebanese armed forces’ Commander-in-Chief General Rodolphe Haykal called on CDF Munir at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. He was presented a guard of honour by a smartly turned-out tri-services contingent upon his arrival at the GHQ, the statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations said. “During the meeting, both dignitaries exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, evolving regional security environment, defence cooperation and prospects for enhancing bilateral military relations,” it added. The discussions focused on strengthening professional interactions, training cooperation and institutional linkages between the armed forces of the two countries, the statement said. It said Field Marshal Munir reaffirmed during the meeting the “importance Pakistan attaches to its longstanding and cordial relations with Lebanon and underscored the Pakistan Army’s commitment to expanding defence collaboration with the Lebanese Armed Forces”. For his part, General Haykal “appreciated the professionalism and operational excellence of Pakistan’s armed forces and acknowledged their contributions to regional peace, stability and international peacekeeping efforts”, it said. “The visit reflects the shared commitment of both armed forces to fostering closer military-to-military cooperation,” the ISPR statement concluded. On Saturday, Leba­non’s army General Haykal had departed for Pakistan as Islamabad continues efforts to mediate an end to the US-Isr­aeli conflict with Iran, which has also spilled into Lebanon. The Lebanese army said the visit was at the invitation of Haykal’s Pakistani counterpart, Field Marshal Munir, but did not immediately provide further details on its purpose or duratio