France provides first weapons to Lebanon for Daesh wr France provides first weapons to Lebanon for Daesh wr

The first French weapons from a USD 3 billion Saudi-funded programme will arrive in Lebanon tomorrow as allies seek to bolster the country's defenses against the Daesh group and other jihadists pressing along its Syrian border.

Anti-tank guided missiles are set to arrive at an air force base in Beirut, overseen by French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his Lebanese counterpart, Samir Mokbel, the Daily Star reported.

France is expected to deliver 250 combat and transport vehicles, seven Cougar helicopters, three small corvette warships and a range of surveillance and communications equipment over four years as part of the USD 3 billion (2.8 billion-euro) modernization programme.

It is being entirely funded by Saudi Arabia, which is keen to see Lebanon's army defend its borders against jihadist groups, particularly Daesh and Al-Qaeda- linked Al-Nusra, instead of leaving the job to Hezbollah militants, who are backed by its regional rival, Iran.

The contract also promises seven years of training for the 70,000-strong Lebanese army and 10 years of equipment maintenance.

"This project is to help us re-establish a Lebanese army capable of responding to new security realities," said a French Defence official.

Since the conflict in neighboring Syria broke out in 2011, Lebanon has faced mounting spill-over threats, first from the millions of refugees pouring across the border and increasingly from jihadists.