(Al-Monitor) Jack Detsch - Pentagon officials recently informed Congress of plans to supply the Lebanese Armed Forces with six light attack helicopters and a Scan Eagle surveillance drone. The Pentagon has sent nearly $350 million in weapons to Lebanon over the past three years, including Bradley fighting vehicles, machine guns and night-vision goggles. However, there are growing concerns that the Lebanese army isn't as independent from Hizbullah as it claims. In a 2014 report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that U.S. Embassy officials in Beirut had not fully complied with Pentagon security checklists for weapons provided to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which critics worry could fall into the hands of the Shiite militia.
2017-12-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive