Beirut welcomes Iranian offers of military assistance

By Wassim Saif al-Din

BEIRUT (AA) - Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on Monday welcomed an Iranian offer to provide the Lebanese army with military assistance.

Bassil made the remarks at a joint press conference with Iranian counterpart Mohammad Jawad Zarif at the Foreign Ministry's headquarters in capital Beirut.

Upon his arrival in Lebanon on Sunday, Zarif told reporters that his country was prepared to extend military assistance to the Lebanese army.

Last week, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said the Lebanese army should procure air-defense systems from Iran with a view to protecting Lebanese airspace from Israeli military aircraft.

Remarking on Nasrallah’s comments, Bassil said: “It’s only natural that we would consider these [Iranian] offers, provided there are no strings attached.”

Beirut fears that enhanced ties with Iran could serve to alienate the U.S., which has long represented the Lebanese army’s chief source of arms procurement.