Moqbel Stresses Need for Advances to Supply Army Weapons

Defense Minister Samir Moqbel stressed on Saturday the need to take out a loan in order to support the Lebanese army, noting that the military cannot be asked to fight terrorism with a shortage in ammunition.

“I understand the fiscal deficit that the State is having. But it is necessary to open credits to back the army,” said Moqbel after a meeting he held with PM Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail.

“We cannot ask the military to counter terrorism while there is shortage in ammunition,” he added.

“Opening letters of credit to purchase ammunition for the army was the main subject of discussion with PM Salam and a day earlier with Speaker Nabih Berri,” stressed the Minister, noting that the issue is delicate and must be addressed differently from other state matters.

“We cannot be indifferent to 8,000 soldiers deployed on the border of Arsal through Ras Baalbek in harsh weather conditions and sub-zero temperatures,” he exclaimed.

The army deploys widely on the northeastern border town of Arsal and has waged several battles with extremists attempting to infiltrate the country.

Army Commander Jean Qahwaji revealed on Friday that he asked U.S. officials during a visit to Washington to speed up the delivery of equipment that the army had bought from the U.S., mainly six A-20 Super Tucano planes and Hellfire air-to-ground missiles.

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.

This represents $8.6 million worth of U.S. security assistance to Lebanon and boosts the army's ability to secure Lebanon’s borders against violent extremists.

Since 2004, America has provided over $1.3 billion dollars in security assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces, including both training and equipment.