Army Receives New Shipment of U.S. Weapons
The army received Saturday a shipment of weapons and ammunition as part of the U.S. military assistance program to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
“In the presence of a number of army officers and members of the U.S. defense cooperation bureau in Lebanon, the army's Logistics Brigade received at the Rafik Hariri International Airport a quantity of various arms and ammunition,” state-run National News Agency reported.
“This new batch is part of the U.S. assistance program to the Lebanese army and of the commitments and agreements signed between the two sides,” NNA added.
A similar shipment was delivered to the army on August 29 as part of U.S. military aid aimed at supporting the army in its combat of terrorism.
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale had said on the occasion: “Support for the Lebanese army and other security services is a top priority for the U.S.”
“Lebanon asks, and America delivers,” he added.
“On August 2, extremists attacked the northeastern border town of Arsal and on August 3, I met with (Army chief) General Jean Qahwaji and asked what the U.S. could do to help,” he explained.
The first shipment included 480 anti-tank guided missiles, more than 1,500 M16-A4 rifles, and several mortars, according to Hale, who promised at the time that more mortars, grenade launchers, machine guns, and anti-tank weapons will be arriving.
Deadly clashes broke out between the army and Islamist gunmen in Arsal on August 2 over the arrest of a member of the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front.
The fighting ended with a ceasefire on August 7 but the militants kidnapped around 35 troops and policemen.
The development prompted the U.S. to pledge to bolster the army, while Saudi Arabia unveiled a grant of one billion dollars dedicated to the military.
Y.R.
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