US Warship Docks in Beirut Port as Sign of ‘Enduring Partnership’ with Lebanon

A US warship docked off the port of Beirut on Saturday in what American Ambassador Elizabeth Richard said was a sign of the “enduring partnership between the US and Lebanon”.

Vice Admiral James Malloy, commander of the US Fifth Fleet, was aboard the USS Rampage, which hosted a reception for Lebanese politicians.

Representatives of all parliamentary blocs, except Hezbollah, attended the event.

Malloy said that the warship hosted a naval drill with the Lebanese military in 2018.

The US embassy tweeted that the USS Ramage, a destroyer class vessel, “entered Beirut port on September 14 as a symbol of the enduring partnership between the US and Lebanon to ensure security and stability in the eastern Mediterranean.”

It said the vessel was on a “goodwill visit to showcase the strong US-Lebanon relationship and a commitment to freedom of navigation.”

Asharq Al-Awsat