Lebanon gets first shipment of $3b in French arms

Saudi-funded material aims to boost Beirut’s army as it struggles to contain neighboring Syria’s civil war

By AP 20 April 2015, 11:54 am

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File: Lebanese Army reinforcements arrive at the outskirts of Arsal, a predominantly Sunni Muslim town near the Syrian border in eastern Lebanon, August 4, 2014. (AP/Bilal Hussein/File)

BEIRUT — Lebanon has received the first installment of $3 billion worth of French weapons paid for by Saudi Arabia.

The handover ceremony held Monday at Beirut’s international airport was attended by Lebanese and French defense ministers and top army officers.

The deal, first announced in 2013, aims to boost Lebanon’s military as it struggles to contain a rising tide of violence linked to the civil war in neighboring Syria.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says the deal will include dozens of armored vehicles, six transport helicopters and other types of weapons.

The deal also includes training programs for Lebanese troops run by the French military.

Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel said “Lebanon’s victory against terrorism is a victory to all nations threatened by terrorism.”

The French aid is not the first shipment of Western military support for Lebanon’s army. In February, a shipment of US weapons arrived in Beirut and was handed over to the Lebanese military.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.