Lebanon gets Saudi-paid French arms in Beirut ceremony
Lebanon has received its first shipment of $3 billion worth of Saudi-financed weaponry from France in a ceremony marking the delivery of the arms at the airport in the nation’s capital of Beirut.
The ceremony on Monday was attended by Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, Lebanese Army Commander Jean Kahwagi and Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri as well as many other officials, the Lebanon-based news outlet Daily Star reported.
According to the report, a senior Lebanese military official said the first weapons shipment would mostly include anti-tank guided missiles.
“The delivery of the anti-tank missiles shows that the [Saudi-French military] agreement is on the right track. More arms and equipment will be shipped later to the Lebanese Army,” the unnamed official added as quoted in the report.
Meanwhile, press reports from the French capital of Paris said that France is additionally expected to deliver to Lebanon 250 combat and transport vehicles, seven Cougar attack helicopters, three small corvette warships and a range of surveillance and communications equipment over four years as part of the $3 billion modernization program.
The arms deal further includes seven years of training for the 70,000-strong Lebanese Army and 10 years of equipment maintenance, the report adds.
In an address during the ceremony at Beirut Airport, Moqbel said, “Lebanon's victory against terrorism is a victory for all countries threatened by this terrorism.”
This is while Kahwagi has said the military aid will “[enhance] the Lebanese Army and increase its readiness and strength to confront terrorism and defend Lebanon’s borders.”
The delivery of the French weaponry comes amid growing fears that Takfiri terrorists from rival ISIL and the al-Nusra Front remain entrenched in mountainous caves on the outskirts of the northeastern Lebanese town of Arsal and preparing to launch a major offensive against the country after snow melts in the mountains.
The Lebanese army has frequently clashed with the Syria-based terrorist group, who are widely believed to be financed and supported by Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf Arab Kingdoms, as well as Turkey.
Both Takfiri groups, which fought Lebanese troops in Arsal last August, are still holding 25 of the nation’s soldiers and policemen hostage after killing four of their captives.
MFB/NN/HRB
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