Report: France to Provide Lebanese Army with Heavy Weapons
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The French government decided to provide the Lebanese army with heavy weapons to boost its military performance, a local newspaper reported on Monday.
According to al-Joumhouria newspaper, a recent meeting held between French and Lebanese Defense Ministry officials discussed the matter.
France decided in light of the meetings to supply the Lebanese army with anti-tank missiles and sophisticated surface-to-air missiles.
Informed sources told the newspaper that Paris is “confident that the Lebanese army command is controlling the institution despite what rumors said.”
“France is positive that Hizbullah will not be able to receive the arms,” the sources said.
In January, reports said that Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji was scheduled to visit Paris this to appeal for military aid and discuss ways to improve cooperation between the two countries.
Qahwaji last visited France at the head of a military delegation in 2011.
The army chief traveled to Britain in September to discuss ways to boost military cooperation between the two countries.
The U.S. had continuously objected the transfer of heavy arms to the Lebanese army saying the missiles could end up being used against Israel given the influence of Hizbullah.
08 July 2013, 08:35
310
What is important now is that they approved it and it is upon us to prove that we are worthy of it. By proving that the LAF are independent of HA will pave the way for more and better hardware in the future. So be thankful, remember they don't owe us anything. I am also hoping for some helicopters, fighter jets and anti-missile missiles.
Thank you France, please execute the deal.
08 July 2013, 08:36
25
anti-tank missiles and sophisticated surface-to-air missiles... really? is this what we need? this is a joke! Instead of sending armed helis,air to surface missiles,new tanks, tactical amunitions.... and more....
joke all you want on the Leb.Army the day will come when they will be armed!
08 July 2013, 13:05
11
smart Fabio! I will give them blood if they ask! am on the reseve list to defend U ... imbecilio
08 July 2013, 09:20
65
Iran is not an arms exporting country. They provide custom made weapons to HA to be able to inflict as much damage as possible to Israel. They have some prototypes of jets, helicopters and tanks but these are not in mass production and still heavily rely on old (but upgraded) US hardware and some Russian and Chinese systems.
08 July 2013, 09:48
21
My post says that Iran is weak. Read again. They rely on old US weapons.
08 July 2013, 11:08
123
Exactly.... Like the mig29s fighter jets and helicopter gunships that hariri and elias murr assured Lebanon would receive from Russia! In the end the Lebanon will only recieved exiled terrorists and salafists for our army.
08 July 2013, 11:32
32
And why it would bother if Iran or else were weak or strong?
They may be weak but braver than others like most Gulf states.
09 July 2013, 03:54
10
I apologize on his behalf mowaten, he did not mean to talk down your country.
08 July 2013, 11:18
113
here's hoping these will be real weapons not outdated neutered crap, and that the deal will go through to the end. one can dream, but let's not forget they will never be allowed to supply us with anything that could worry israel.
Iran might have less advanced tech and you can criticize all you want, but at least they support us with the best they got.
08 July 2013, 15:38
210
Mowaten : why chehad ou mcharat ?
Ba3den, when you say Iran "support us", what do you mean by "US" ? Lebanese Army or Hezbollah ?
When has Iran supported "US", the Lebanese PEOPLE / ARMY / GOVERNMENT ?
08 July 2013, 18:23
36
Why, is Iran giving weapons for free ?
Oil and Gas is not gonna happen before 10-15 years provided we have enough ressources to justify exploiting them. We have no proven ressources yet. Don't sell your crop before you build your farm ...
Ba3den, answer the question instead of launching stupid and unfounded accusations.
We became beggars when Hezbollah destroyed the economical potential of Lebanon and pushed it back 20 years by venturing into UNCALLED wars and bringing death and destruction to Lebanon.
They are doing the same today with their involvement in Syria.
I do not want us to pay for weapons. We have Hezbollah's weapons that are most welcome in the army.
I also want us to PAY for Electricity, Education, Infrastructure, Economy, Jobs ... not weapons, not war !
Looking forward to hear your next stupid excuse or to divert the subject to something irrelevant to my question!
09 July 2013, 03:52
11
ft.,
He meant to say he is Lebanese mowaten (as in the land of Fairuz and Wadih Elsafi and Zaki Nasif). I know your mind drifts to your roots. The other mowaten is what you had in mind (Ayatollah to the bone)- in your dictionary, that is the real mowaten
09 July 2013, 14:16
00
FT ... Paris 1,2,3 is not what's wrong with Lebanon. Our debt is nothing compared to other countries and should not be a problem given we have "OIL AND GAS". Yes, it will take 10 to 15 years to exploit according to Gebran Bassil himself who burns cash renting powerboats rather than building power stations. This is even worse than Paris 1/2/3.
Hezbollah and their weapons did not appear in 2006 but in the early 80s so your arguments are complete nonsense.
And Iran never gave Lebanon weapons, only Hezbollah and you fail to see what the cost is ...
I agree with you that nothing is free but unless you PAY cash for the weapons you order, you will not get what you want.
09 July 2013, 14:17
00
FT : The issue of banks and the mafia that is the banking sector in Lebanon has nothing to do with Hariri.
Banks are above any political party. Banks control politicians and politics. It's not the other way around.
Ba3den, Nabih Berri and Gebran Bassil vomitting a couple of statements about Oil and Gas does not make them "seriously" working on it. 50% of our tensions are due to the potential presence of Oil and Gas and fight to control their revenue streams ...
08 July 2013, 12:31
84
Paris must have excess weapons due to canceled orders from FSA....
08 July 2013, 22:00
02
@ the1phoenix,
..."and no, no weapons will fall into any hands other than army hands". how can you be so sure it wont be secretly channelled to ha or any other illegally armed groups roaming the lebanese territories???
08 July 2013, 17:26
25
we'll get old milan and mistral, coz france developed new atgw for its army. Hope they'll be used to disarm Hezb-ebola...
08 July 2013, 18:22
27
i am sunni and against the arms of hezb-ebola, so i'll soon be called a cannibal, wahabo-sionist, ect...
On connait ta chanson FT, change un peu de disque/propagande...
08 July 2013, 23:15
00
@ the1phoenix
1- if hezballa had good intentions towards lebanon and its army and seeing it needs all the help it can get from all citizens first before asking military help from outside, they could have surrendered their weapons to the lebanese authorities or at least negotiated selling whatever weapons they had to the government and joined the army long time ago.
2- since this didnt happen,the army emerging victorious from al asir's battle is going to operate alone in the future against more dangerous and hostile entrenched armed groups supported by rogue middle eastern countries, ranging from hezballa to the various palestinian factions to the salafists and the jihadists without forgetting to keep a constant watch on the syrian and israeli borders.
so and in order to perform this herculian task the army needs a lot of weapons and a lot of outside miltary might and manpower assistance and i dont think that is the kind of scenario the french and the british had in mind.
09 July 2013, 03:49
00
but the 1phoenix,
I thought M8 Govrnment does not heed the West. THey can not have it both ways. If they are going to behave like M-14 then step aside and let the original M-14 be in charge (we do not need someone acting like them).
