Haykal holds series of security meetings in Washington

Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal met Tuesday with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine and Assistant Secretary of War for International Security Affairs Daniel Zimmerman, as he held a series of security meetings in Washington.

Haykal will also meet with the Acting Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Michael Miller.

The U.S. embassy had welcomed in a statement Monday the army’s "ongoing work to disarm non-state actors and reinforce national sovereignty."

On Monday, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command (MARCENT) hosted a bi-lateral security summit attended by senior leaders from the Lebanese Army at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.

Haykal is set to discuss in Washington the army's plan to disarm Hezbollah.

A previous visit was cancelled amid claims from the U.S. that the army's efforts to disarm Hezbollah were not sufficient.

Local media reports said Monday that Haykal might also visit France, Germany and Saudi Arabia, and that he will present a comprehensive dossier in Washington on Hezbollah's disarmament. The dossier will include maps, photos and details of the first and second phase of Hezbollah's disarmament plan, pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper said.

In January, the Lebanese army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, covering the area south of the Litani river, around 30 kilometers from the Israeli border. It will now move to the second phase of the plan, north of the Litani river.

In January, Israel, deeming the army's efforts "insufficient", intensified its strikes on south Lebanon, especially on the region north of the Litani river, where the Lebanese army will implement the second phase of the plan.