Qahwaji Optimistic on Delivery of Super Tucano Planes

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji has revealed that he received promises from U.S. officials during his latest visit to deliver six A-20 Super Tucano planes to Lebanon.

In an interview published in al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday, Qahwaji said: “We will receive the Super Tucano planes from the Americans.”

The last time Lebanon received military aid from the U.S. was in October 2015.

The shipment provided the army with 50 Hellfire missiles and 560 artillery rounds, including some precision munitions.

The six planes could help the military advance on the outskirts of Arsal on the Lebanese-Syrian border where Islamic State and al-Nusra Front militants have taken refuge.

Their threat rose in August 2014 when they overran Arsal and engaged in heavy gunbattles with the army. The terrorists took with them hostages from the military and police and later executed four of them.

Al-Nusra Front released 16 soldiers and policemen in a swap conducted in December but the IS continues to hold nine Lebanese captives.

“We will be able to attack the gunmen on (Arsal's) outskirts when they become isolated inside the Syrian territories,” said Qahwaji.

“They are fighting each other and we are attacking them if we see movements,” he said.

But the heavily-populated town, in addition to the presence of around 100,000 Syrian refugees, are complicating the military's operations.

“We can't deploy thousands of troops in a single town. We are carrying out special operations so that we don't endanger the lives of civilians,” the general added.

Troops killed six IS militants, including a commander, and arrested 16 others earlier this month in their biggest operation yet against the extremists.

G.K.

D.A.