The newspaper report said that Pentagon and State Department officials were considering a Lebanese request for more substantial weaponry including tanks, anti-tank missiles and an air defense system to deter Israeli air force incursions into Lebanese airspace. Congress must be notified, however, of any significant arms sales.

This is the latest step in the development of ongoing bilateral relations between the two countries, and follows the establishment of the inaugural US-Lebanon Joint Military Commission and a string of high-level US diplomatic visits to Lebanon this month.

Israeli officials have conveyed their concerns about US military support for the Lebanese government to the Bush administration. They are concerned that the weapons delivered to the Lebanese army may eventually fall into the hands of Hezbollah.

Israeli concerns have been heightened, according to The New York Times, as Hezbollah has seen its domestic political standing enhanced in recent months, particularly following the release of the Ministerial Statement, which acknowledged the right of the Lebanese army, the people and the Resistance to defend Lebanese territory against any Israeli breaches.

On October 6, the inaugural US-Lebanon Joint Military Commission (JMC) was instigated by the Lebanese Defense Minister Elias al-Murr and US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Mary Beth Long.

The JMC is intended to institutionalize the bilateral military relationship between the two countries, and it will provide an annual opportunity to commit to military cooperation goals and to review commitments made in the past year.

Participants in this year’s JMC discussed current and future military assistance to Lebanon, including the need for a broad range of military capabilities to confront terrorism.

The JMC’s inauguration coincided with a flurry of recent visits by US diplomats to Lebanon. During a visit in early October, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale affirmed during an interview with the Voice of Lebanon radio the US administration’s commitment to support the Lebanese government and expressed Washington’s “categorical rejection” of any potential Syrian military intervention.

US Under Secretary of Defense Policy Ambassador Eric S. Edelman also visited Beirut, meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Army Commander Jean Kahwaji on October 17.

During Edelman’s meeting with Kahwaji, the two signed an agreement for the LAF to receive additional automatic grenade launchers, as part of the $410 million in grants for equipment and training that the US has provided to the Lebanese Armed Forces since 2006.

The New York Times reported on Saturday, however, that the American administration had provided the Lebanese army with less than half of the pledged $410 million worth of weapons. Disputes among Pentagon and State Department officials had delayed the weapons transfers, frustrating Lebanese military officials, the newspaper reported.

Lebanese and American military officials told The New York Times that the US has so far provided light weapons, spare parts, Humvees, rifles, grenade launchers and ammunition. Lebanon is also anxious to upgrade its antiquated fleet of tanks as well as provide night-vision equipment for its soldiers patrolling the border areas.

The New York Times reported that talks between the Bush administration and the Lebanese government over the precise nature of further military aid packages were continuing.