(Reuters) Lebanon said Saturday it was committed to building up its armed forces after complaints by Israel about Western assistance to the military following a deadly border clash. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said the cabinet would meet to ratify a three- or five-year plan to arm the military "so that it can protect the nation's dignity." Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he had told France and the U.S., "We think it is a mistake to arm the Lebanese army with weapons, with advanced systems....We used to describe the danger that these things would end up in Hizbullah hands, but before our eyes something more troubling is happening, and they are being used directly by the Lebanese army against us."
2010-08-09 09:10:21Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive