UK ambassador announces £1m gifting of Land Rover spares to Lebanese Army

As part of Britain’s “continuing support and partnership with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), through the UK’s Conflict and Stability Fund (CSSF),” British Ambassador to Lebanon Ian Collard has announced the gifting of Land Rover spares worth £1m to “support the LAF in its mission to defend the security and stability of Lebanon,” a British embassy statement said.

In a handover ceremony organized at the Lebanese Army Logistical base in Kfarshima, Ambassador Collard oversaw the gifting of the Land Rover spare parts by the British Government. In attendance were Brig. Gen. Pilot Ziad Haykal representing LAF chief General Joseph Aoun, Logistics Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Abboud, British Defense Attaché Colonel Lee Saunders and Head of Security Program Sarah Kronfol.

After the ceremony, Ambassador Collard said: ''I am proud to be able to gift spare Land Rover parts worth £1m to contribute to the LAF’s resilience and operational readiness. The role of the Lebanese Armed Forces is crucial to safeguarding Lebanon and its people, particularly in these increasingly challenging times. A team of military mechanics from the UK’s 16 Air Assault Brigade is currently deployed to support LAF mechanics and maintenance facilities across Lebanon. Our continuing partnership will further enhance LAF resilience and readiness.''

“Focusing on the Land Rover Defender vehicles that form the backbone of the LAF’s mobility, the UK team is working with the LAF to support routine maintenance and more complex mechanical repairs that will keep the LAF’s Land Rovers on the front line for the foreseeable future,” Collard added.

He also noted that since 2010, the UK has committed over £85 million, through its Conflict, Security and Stability fund, allowing the LAF to “optimize its capabilities, develop and modernize to become a respected, professional armed forces able to defend Lebanon and provide security along its border with Syria.”