Hamish Falconer, the UK Minister for the Middle East, concluded a two‑day visit to Lebanon on 3–4 November 2025. According to the British Embassy Beirut, he met senior officials, opened a UK‑funded Lebanese Armed Forces operating base in the south, and reviewed UK‑backed humanitarian delivery alongside Ambassador Hamish Cowell.
In the south, the new LAF base is designed to strengthen the army’s operational resilience and address infrastructure gaps, enabling a sustained state presence. The UK also says it has funded more than 80 LAF operating bases along the Syrian border to reinforce Lebanon’s sovereignty and security.
Falconer visited the Lebanese Red Cross centre in Tebnine and a UNICEF Makani community hub in Seddiqine. Both sit within a £33.5 million UK package in 2025 for basic needs, education, child protection and gender‑based violence prevention, delivered with the Government of Lebanon to support social protection systems.
In meetings with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji and LAF Commander General Rodolph Haykal, the minister restated UK support for reform, sovereignty and long‑term stability, and noted the importance of parliamentary elections in 2026.
Those engagements come under a new political configuration: parliament elected Joseph Aoun president on 9 January 2025; Prime Minister Nawaf Salam formed a cabinet on 8 February and secured confidence on 26 February; and General Rodolphe Haykal was appointed LAF commander on 13 March.
For security delivery, an all‑weather LAF facility in the south should improve sustainment, logistics and response times near areas affected by recent clashes. A predictable presence reduces reliance on ad‑hoc deployments and helps civilian agencies operate with fewer interruptions when conditions deteriorate.
On the civilian side, the approach pairs emergency readiness with access to schooling and protection services for children in high‑vulnerability areas. Framing support within social protection aims to move humanitarian assistance from short‑term relief towards steadier, government‑linked service access as capacity allows.
The UK’s messaging continues to couple security cooperation with humanitarian and social objectives, signalling an intent to stabilise service delivery while reinforcing state institutions in sensitive regions. Implementation will hinge on coordination with Lebanese ministries and delivery partners as programmes scale through 2025.