Lebanon receives US artillery, ammunition

[Hindustani78]

Lebanon receives US artillery, ammunition - The Times of India
AFP | Feb 8, 2015, 06.36 PM IST

M198 155mm howitzers sit on the dock upon the arrival of a shipment of US weapons at the Beirut port. The Lebanese army received US weapons, including 72 M198 power supply (howitzers) and more than 25 million rounds of artillery, to help in the fight against jihadists who have staged incursions from Syria. (AFP photo)



BEIRUT: The Lebanese army received a shipment of US weapons on Sunday, an embassy official told AFP, to help in the fight against jihadists who have staged incursions from Syria.

"The Lebanese military received 72 M198 power supply (howitzers), and more than 25 million rounds of artillery, mortar and rifle ammunition," the official said on condition of anonymity.

An AFP photographer at the Beirut port also saw several Humvees, howitzers, ammunition containers and other military vehicles arriving.

In a statement, the US embassy said the aid is worth $25 million, adding that the 26 million rounds of ammunition included small, medium and heavy artillery rounds.

"Support for the (Lebanese military) remains a top priority for the United States. Recent attacks against Lebanon's army only strengthen America's resolve to stand in solidarity with the people of Lebanon to confront these threats," said the embassy.

It added: "The United States is providing top of the line weapons to the (Lebanese army) to help Lebanon's brave soldiers in their confrontation with the terrorists."

In recent months, Lebanon's army has fought several battles against jihadists streaming in from across the restive border with Syria.

The deadliest battle took place last August in the border town of Arsal.

The jihadists withdrew after a deal brokered by Lebanese Sunni clerics, but they took with them more than two dozen army and police hostages.

Four of the hostages have since been executed, and efforts to release the remaining 25 appear completely stalled.

In 2014, Lebanon was the fifth largest recipient of US foreign military aid, the embassy said.

"In 2014 alone, the United States provided over $100 million to the (Lebanese military), adding to the $1 billion in assistance provided ... since 2006," said the statement.

The civil war raging in Syria, which in nearly four years has killed more than 210,000 people, has had a major security, economic and humanitarian impact on Lebanon.

The tiny Mediterranean country was dominated militarily and politically by Syria for nearly 30 years until 2005.

It remains divided over the conflict in Syria, with Shia Hezbollah and its allies backing President Bashar al-Assad, and the Sunni-led opposition supporting the revolt.

 

[Hindustani78]

U.S. delivers arms to Lebanon, says fighting 'same enemy'| Reuters
Sun Feb 8, 2015 10:15am EST

Lebanese Brigadier General Manuel Kirejian (2nd R) chats with U.S. ambassador to Lebanon David Hale (C) as they review weapons donated by the U.S. government to the Lebanese army during a ceremony at Beirut's port February 8, 2015.

Credit: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir

The United States delivered more than $25 million worth of military aid including heavy artillery to the Lebanese army on Sunday to help it fight jihadist groups which have repeatedly battled with security forces near the Syrian border.

The U.S. ambassador to Beirut, David Hale, said in a statement the weapons would be used to "defeat the terrorist and extremist threat from Syria".

"We are fighting the same enemy, so our support for you has been swift and continuous," Hale said at an event marking the delivery of the weapons in Beirut.

The Lebanese army has fought regular battles with armed groups including militants linked to Islamic State and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front in areas near the Syrian border, most recently late last month when six soldiers were killed.

Hale said Lebanon was the fifth biggest recipient of U.S. military aid. It received more than $100 million last year. Lebanese officials have warned of plans by radical Islamist groups fighting in the Syria war to seize territory in Lebanon.

While the U.S.-backed Lebanese army has been battling hard-line Islamists on the Lebanese side of the frontier, the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah has been battling the same groups on the Syrian side of the border -- part of its role fighting alongside Damascus in the Syrian war.

The Lebanese army, rebuilt after the country's 1975-90 civil war, is one of the strongest institutions in the country, but it has been hamstrung by outdated weapons.

France and Lebanon signed a $3 billion Saudi-funded deal in early November to provide French weapons and military equipment, including helicopters, to the Lebanese army.

The United States has accelerated the delivery of military aid to Lebanon since last August, when Islamist militants staged a major attack in the border town of Arsal, said Nabil Haitham, a columnist in the Lebanese newspaper As-Safir.

"Despite the importance of these weapons, they cannot make up for the big shortfall from which the army is suffering," he said in a phone interview with Reuters, adding that helicopters were vital.

 

[Hindustani78]

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale, center, speaks to journalists Feb. 8 during a handover ceremony of U.S. weapons to the Lebanese army at Beirut's port in Lebanon.(Photo: Bilal Hussein/AP)

A Lebanese soldier stands next to artillery pieces Feb. 8 that were unloaded from a ship at Beirut's port in Lebanon. (Photo: Bilal Hussein/AP)

 

[Hindustani78]

Lebanon Receives US Missiles For Anti-Jihadist Fight
7:34 p.m. EDT June 10, 2015
Lebanese army troops take part in a military exercise during the Live Fire Demonstration show at Taybeh military base on June 10 in the Baalbek region in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley.(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

BEIRUT — Lebanese and American officials gathered Wednesday to mark the delivery of more than 200 anti-tank missiles the United States says will help Lebanon's army defend its borders against terrorists.

The 200 US-made TOW-II missiles and launchers, valued more than $10 million, were delivered in late May as part of a joint US-Saudi effort to support Lebanon's army, said US ambassador to Lebanon David Hale.

"We are absolutely committed to making sure that the army has the capacity to be the sole defender of Lebanese territory and its borders, and is answerable to the state and to the Lebanese people through the state," he said.

Lebanese soldiers fired artillery, drove through the hills of the Bekaa Valley, and flew over the area in helicopters.

The four-year civil war in neighboring Syria has seen violence spill over into Lebanon.

Jihadist fighters, including Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate and the extremist Islamic State group, have sought refuge in the rocky terrain on the Syrian-Lebanese border.

In August last year, Lebanese security forces clashed with these groups when they briefly overran the border town of Arsal.

Since then, the US has provided Lebanon's armed forces with $82.5 million in weapons and ammunition, according to the US embassy.

"This is a long term commitment, and we will stand by Lebanon's side in this regard until these terrorists are defeated," Hale said.

The US-made TOW-IIs are the same kind delivered by Western backers to Syrian rebels in April 2014.

The new delivery comes in addition to artillery and ammunition that the US provided to Lebanon in February.

A $3 billion Saudi-funded program also brought French-made anti-tank guided missiles to Lebanon in April, to be followed over the next four years by combat and transport vehicles, three small warships, and a range of surveillance and communications.

 

[Hindustani78]

U.S. to double military assistance to Lebanese army

BEIRUT — The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon says Washington is more than doubling the baseline amount of U.S. military assistance to the Lebanese army compared to the previous year.

Ambassador David Hale told reporters after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Friday that America is committing $150 million of U.S. assistance funds to the army for the upcoming year

Hale said America believes that the army is "the sole institution with the legitimacy and mandate to defend the country and its people."

Hale said the funds will allow the army to buy munitions, improve close air support, sustain vehicles and aircraft, modernize airlift capacity, provide training to its soldiers, and add to the mobility of armored units.

The Lebanese army is fighting extremist groups on the border with Syria.

 

[mingle]

What they gonna do with all this ??

 

[Hindustani78]

What they gonna do with all this ??

Lebanese military is being upgraded by French and United States .

 

[bdslph]

lebanon need CAS aircraft and transport planes

 

[Hindustani78]

U.S. supplies 'precision' shells to Lebanon to help it defend border with Syria| Reuters
Fri Oct 9, 2015 11:22am EDT

The United States is providing the Lebanese army with a consignment of laser-guided artillery shells in an $8.6 million arms package intended to help Lebanon defend against cross-border incursions from Syria, the U.S. embassy said on Friday.

The package, which includes 50 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and 560 artillery rounds including the "precision munitions", will boost the Lebanese army's ability "to secure Lebanon's borders against violent extremists," it said in a statement.

Lebanon, which is still rebuilding after its own 15-year civil war, has seen clashes between gunmen loyal to opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, as well as strikes on the army and cross-border attacks by Syrian rebels.

The army fought several days of deadly battles last year with insurgent groups including Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front when they staged an incursion into the town of Arsal near the more than 300 km (190 mile) border with Syria.

A Lebanese military source told Reuters that new missiles and 155 mm "smart artillery shells" had been delivered.

The United States says it is doubling its military assistance to Lebanon in the coming year to $150 million in view of the overspill from Syria in four years of civil war.

 

[Hindustani78]

Lebanon receives new US military aid | Zee News

Beirut: Lebanese army received on Friday a new shipment of Hellfire missiles and artillery munitions in assistance from the US, officials said in a statement.

"Ambassador David Hale visited Beirut Airbase this morning to inspect America's latest delivery of Hellfire missiles and artillery munitions to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)" the US ambassy said in a statement, Xinhua reported.

The shipment included 50 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and 560 artillery rounds, including some precision munitions, the statement revealed.

"This represents $8.6 million worth of US security assistance to Lebanon and boosts the LAF's ability to secure Lebanon's borders against violent extremists," the embassy said.

The Hellfire air-to-ground missiles are used on Cessna Caravan aircraft previously delivered to the military by Washington.

The missiles "allow the LAF to strike confirmed insurgent positions without exposing themselves to return fire," the embassy explained.

"The other artillery rounds include laser guided projectiles, the first munition of its kind in the LAF's arsenal, which will provide the LAF with a precision-strike capability at significant stand-off ranges" it said.

The embassy noted that "today's munitions delivery demonstrates America's sustained commitment to ensure that the Lebanese Armed Forces has the support it needs to be the sole defender of Lebanese territory and its borders, and is answerable to the state and to the Lebanese people through the state".

Since August 2014, the army is engaged in battles with Syria-based extremists from the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Nusra Front groups in the northeastern border town of Arsal.

The extremists overran briefly the border town and kidnapped at least 35 policemen and soldiers before withdrawing to Syria.

The Al-Nusra Front later executed three soldiers while the IS beheaded another one.

IANS

 

[Hindustani78]

http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/lebanon-receives-fresh-military-aid-delivery-from-us/812172
The U.S. government has sent a new military aid delivery to the Lebanese military with a view to improving the security of the country’s borders, the U.S. embassy in Beirut said in a Friday statement.

“On behalf of the U.S., Ambassador Elizabeth Richard today presented over 1,000 machine guns to the Lebanese Armed Forces as part of the LAF’s ongoing efforts to improve border security,” the statement read.

At an official handover ceremony in the Lebanese town of Kfarshima, Richard stressed the “important role” played by the LAF in addressing the “serious challenges” faced by Lebanon, “many of which are related to the conflict in Syria”, according to the statement.

The weapons delivery, Richard was quoted as saying, “is another example of the U.S. government’s policy of augmenting the LAF’s ability to carry out its mission as sole defender of Lebanon”.

The ambassador said earlier that, as of the end of last year, the U.S. had provided Lebanon with more than $220 million in military aid, making Lebanon the fifth largest recipient of U.S. military assistance.

 

[Hindustani78]

Beirut, Ramadan 12, 1438, June 07, 2017, SPA -- Lebanese Defense Minister Yacoub Riad al-Sarraf met in Beirut today with the commander of the US Central Command, General Joseph Votel.
The meeting focused on developments in the situation in the region as well as relations between the armies of the two countries.
--SPA
21:48 LOCAL TIME 18:48 GMT

 

[Hindustani78]

Lebanese army soldiers ride on a military tank in Labwe, at the entrance of the border town of Arsal, in Bekaa Valley. — Reuters

http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/514724/World/Mena/Daesh
BEIRUT — Lebanon's US-backed military is gearing up for a long-awaited assault to dislodge hundreds of Daesh (the so-called IS) militants from a remote corner near Syrian border, seeking to end a years-long threat posed to neighboring towns and villages by the extremists.

The campaign will involve cooperation with the militant group Hezbollah and the Syrian army on the other side of the border — although Lebanese authorities insist they are not coordinating with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's government.

But the assault could prove costly for the under-equipped military and risk activating Daesh sleeper cells in the country.

The tiny Mediterranean nation has been spared the wars and chaos that engulfed several countries in the region since the so-called Arab Spring uprisings erupted in 2011. But it has not been able to evade threats to its security, including sectarian infighting and random car bombings, particularly in 2014, when militants linked to Al-Qaeda and Daesh overran the border region, kidnapping Lebanese soldiers.

The years-long presence of extremists in the border area has brought suffering to neighboring towns and villages, from shelling, to kidnappings of villagers for ransom. Car bombs made in the area and sent to other parts of the country, including the Lebanese capital, Beirut, have killed scores of citizens.

Aided directly by the United States and Britain, the army has accumulated steady successes against the militants in the past year, slowly clawing back territory, including strategic hills retaken in the past week. Authorities say it's time for an all-out assault.

The planned operation follows a six-day military offensive by the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah that forced Al-Qaeda-linked fighters to flee the area on the outskirts of the town of Arsal, along with thousands of civilians.

In a clear distribution of roles, the army is now expected to launch the attack on Daesh. In the past few days, the army's artillery shells and multiple rocket launchers have been pounding the mountainous areas on the Lebanon-Syria border where Daesh held positions, in preparation for the offensive. Drones could be heard around the clock and residents of the eastern Bekaa Valley reported seeing army reinforcements arriving daily in the northeastern district of Hermel to join the battle.

The offensive from the Lebanese side of the border will be carried out by the Lebanese army, while Syrian troops and Hezbollah fighters will be working to clear the Syrian side of Daesh militants. Hezbollah has been fighting alongside Assad's forces since 2013.

On Tuesday, the army's top brass conferred with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and interior and defense ministers at the Presidential Palace to plan operations in the eastern Bekaa Valley.

The committee took the "necessary counsel and decisions to succeed in the military operations to eliminate the terrorists," Maj. Gen. Saadallah Hamad said after the meeting.

Experts say more than 3,000 troops, including elite special forces, are in the northeastern corner of Lebanon to take part in the offensive. The army will likely use weapons it received from the United States, including Cessna aircraft that discharge Hellfire missiles.

Keen to support the army rather than the better equipped Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the US and Britain have supplied the military with helicopters, anti-tank missiles, artillery and radars, as well as training. The American Embassy says the US has provided Lebanon with over $1.4 billion in security assistance since 2005.

But the fight is not expected to be quick or easy.

According to Lebanon's Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, there are about 400 Daesh fighters in the Lebanese area, and hundreds more on the Syrian side of the border.

"It is not going to be a picnic," said Hisham Jaber, a retired army general who heads the Middle East Center for Studies and Political Research in Beirut. "The Lebanese army will try to carry out the mission with the least possible losses."

Jaber said the battle may last several weeks. "It is a rugged area and the organization (Daesh) is well armed and experienced." — AP

 

[The SC]

Lebanese army receives 50 American armored vehicles of the "Bradley" type

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1142921/middle-east

BEIRUT: The Lebanese army targeted Daesh positions on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and Al-Qaa in northeast Lebanon on Thursday with heavy artillery, rocket launchers and helicopters.
“Direct targets among terrorists were hit,” the Army Command said.

Hezbollah has called for coordination between themselves, the Lebanese army and the Syrian army to expel Daesh from the area. The suggestion was rejected by Lebanon’s Supreme Defense Council.

“Lebanon is committed to the international coalition to fight terrorism and considers the Lebanese army the sole force capable of undertaking confrontations,” it said.

Meanwhile, the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon has intervened in the controversy over invitations from the Syrian regime to Lebanese MPs to attend this month’s Damascus International Fair, an event to promote the reconstruction of Syria.

The invitations have exposed rifts in Lebanon’s new “national unity” government. Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri has banned ministers from official visits to Syria, but some will defy the ban and go to Damascus anyway. Agriculture Minister Ghazi Zaiter, Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan and Economy Minister Raed Khoury are all expected to attend the event.

Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim told the pro-Hezbollah Al-Ahd website: “There are agreements between Lebanon and Syria; there are embassies, and ongoing coordination despite the irresponsible and illogical statements that were recently made.

“Relations between Lebanon and Syria are still on, and it is in the interests of both countries for this coordination to be more effective.

“Syria, with its achievements, victories and counterterrorism, has done a great favor for Lebanon and the region.”