Saudi cash 4 French weapons and training
Hat tip to FP's email on this deal:
Quote:
The project is being entirely funded by Saudi Arabia, which is keen to see Lebanon’s Army defend its borders against Syria-based jihadi groups, particularly ISIS and the Nusra Front, Syria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate.
France is expected to deliver 250 combat and transport vehicles, seven Cougar attack helicopters, three small corvette warships and a range of surveillance and communication equipment over four years as part of the $3 billion modernization program. The contract also promises seven years of training for the 70,000-strong Lebanese Army and 10 years of equipment maintenance.
Link:http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Leb...ror-fight.ashx
Once radicalised, twice radicalised and dangerous?
From Australia's Lowy Institute, the author I note has been "on the ground" and she starts:
Quote:
Islamic extremism in Palestinian communities in the Middle East is emerging as a significant security threat. These relatively ungoverned spaces are proving vulnerable to radical takeover from without and within.
Link:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...xtremism.aspx?
Rich "uncle" stops support
Quote:
Saudi Arabia is halting a $3bn (£2.1bn) military aid package to Lebanon, as part of what one Saudi official called a "reassessment" of relations.The state-run Saudi Press Agency said the money was to be used by the Lebanese army to buy French weapons.A $1bn deal to equip the internal security forces is also being stopped.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35614917
Hardly unexpected.
Coalitions makes strange partnerships
I suppose the official relationship between the USA and Lebanon's Army meant this could happen, plus some of the stranger SOF deployments in Syria between rival factions was a sign.
From an Israeli newspaper and their headline:
Quote:
U.S. Special Forces in Lebanon Prepare to Fight ISIS – Alongside Hezbollah? The Americans are training with the Lebanese army, while Hezbollah is gearing up to fight ISIS.
Link:http://www.haaretz.com/amp/us-news/1.805446
Coalitions makes strange partnerships Part 2
Not only a strange partnership, replete with promises and then diplomatic obstruction as this article explains:http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/orig...lah-syria.html
Curiously the end result is:
Quote:
The current unspoken partnership between the Lebanese Armed Forces, Hezbollah and the Syrian army is a direct result of the efforts of those who have worked so diligently to keep the Lebanese Armed Forces under-equipped. By doing so, they have also inadvertently strengthened Hezbollah, making it the only viable military force in the country able to repel armed groups along the Lebanese border, and are now creating a reality on the battlefield that everyone is aware of but no one wants to acknowledge.
Yes Hezbollah emerges stronger, as this NYT article illustrates:https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/27/w...-lebanon.html?