Lebanon Plans Arms Deal with Russia
According to early reports by JTA news service, Lebanon and Russia have arranged an arms deal by which the Lebanese army will be supplied with tanks and artillery. On Monday, Saad Hariri, Lebanon’s majority leader, met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the plan. Hariri later reported that “[Putin] promised to help the Lebanese army, which needs heavy arms right now.” In exchange for these military provisions, Lebanon will offer political support to one of the most globally controversial issues currently facing Russia: although the decision is not yet official, Lebanon is expected to officially recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, disputed regions that recently broke away from Georgia and are presently recognized only by Russia and Nicaragua. Justifying the move, Hariri noted parallels in Lebanon’s own experience, saying “The Lebanese know the situation of South Ossetia…[We] are also a small and threatened country. On one side we have Israel, which has already attacked us more than once. On the other side we have Syria, which also threatens us from time to time.”
Stefanie Demetriades
