equipment to Lebanon in an attempt to bolster the Middle Eastern nation
in countering extremists and militant groups from neighboring war-torn
Syria.
The shipment provided to
the Lebanese army by the US includes 50 armored vehicles, 40 artillery
pieces, and 50 grenade launchers. This new $50 million package brings US
military aid to Lebanon to $220 million this year, Reuters reports,
citing the US ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard
The US handed three military helicopters over to the Lebanese army in
March, while the UK promised to provide training for Lebanon’s Land
Border Regiments. The UK is to spend $30 million to train Lebanese
troops in special “urban counterterrorism” techniques over three years. In
the meantime, Saudi Arabia, a traditional financial supporter of
Lebanon, has announced that it is suspending a $3 billion aid package
for Lebanese security forces because of what it called Beirut’s failure
to condemn attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in January.
The move has raised concerns in the US, prompting it to discuss the issue with the Saudis in early March.
Lebanon suffers from the
armed conflict in neighboring Syria, as fighting between different
militant and extremist groups there often spills over Lebanon’s northern
border. Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and other groups also
regularly stage incursions into Lebanese territory.
In 2014, Islamic State and Al
Nusra Front even briefly seized a Lebanese border town called Arsal,
but were driven out by the army.
Lebanon has also seen terrorist
attacks. In June, six people were killed and 19 injured in a suicide
bombing in the village of Qaa on the Syrian border. In addition,
according to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, Lebanon hosts more than a
million Syrian refugees – equivalent to 17 percent of its population.
