Army Receives New Shipment of U.S. Ammunition
The army on Friday received a new shipment of ammunition as part of the U.S. military assistance program to the Lebanese Armed Forces, state-run National News Agency reported.
“The army's Logistics Brigade received at the Rafik Hariri International Airport a quantity of ammunition of various types, in the presence of a number of officers and members of the U.S. defense cooperation bureau in Lebanon,” NNA said.
“This new batch is part of the U.S. assistance program to the Lebanese army and of the commitments and agreements signed between the two sides,” NNA added.
The first shipment of arms and ammunition was delivered to the army on August 29 as part of U.S. military aid aimed at supporting the army in its combat of terrorism.
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale has said that “support for the Lebanese army and other security services is a top priority for the U.S.”
Deadly clashes broke out between the army and Islamist gunmen in the Bekaa border town of Arsal on August 2 over the arrest of a member of the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front, in one of the most dangerous spillovers of the Syrian conflict to date.
The fighting ended with a ceasefire on August 7 but the militants kidnapped around 35 troops and policemen.
The development prompted the U.S. to pledge to bolster the army, while Saudi Arabia unveiled a grant of one billion dollars dedicated to the military.
Y.R.
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