WikiLeaks: Murr Says MiG Fighetr Jets Can Be Used against Hizbullah

A leaked U.S. Embassy cable published exclusively in the Al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday revealed that Defense Minister Elias Murr had initially rejected a Russian grant of 77 tanks and 50,000 of their ammunition, saying that the Lebanese had no need for them.

The WikiLeaks cable spoke of a December 16, 2008, meeting between Murr and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov, during which the Lebanese official explained that Lebanon is in need of MiG fighter jets.

The Russian official grew frustrated with Murr’s request, eventually conceding to granting Lebanon 10 MiG-29 fighter jets for free.

Murr recounted the details of the meeting to then U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison.

He explained that he had no choice but to accept the offer because if he rejected it, he would have been labeled as a traitor who is following an American agenda.

He added that the Russian offer could be used against Hizullah, noting that it could bolster the March 14 camp’s chances of winning the 2009 parliamentary elections, according to the cable.

The MiG jets are the best way to combat and destroy Hizbullah, Murr stressed.

The December 22, 2008, cable revealed that Sison had opposed the MiG deal to which Murr responded that he will not reply to the offer before the end of 2009.

In a later cable, dated April 6, 2009, the minister informed the ambassador that Lebanon will reject the Russian offer, saying it won’t accept it “before 2040.”