The US interim Ambassador Richard H.Jones said that the Lebanese armed forces have now received a total of nine Huey II multi-mission helicopters from the United States as part of $1.3 billion in security assistance was given since 2004.
It is reported that on Thursday Lebanon’s armed forces attained three US helicopters worth $26 million on Thursday to help in efforts to stop Syria’s civil war spilling over its border, along with almost $29 million of British aid as EU countries also step up their support.
The US interim Ambassador Richard H.Jones said that the Lebanese armed forces have now received a total of nine Huey II multi-mission helicopters from the United States as part of $1.3 billion in security assistance was given since 2004.
“We have no plans to slow down or alter that level of support,” Jones said at Beirut’s military air base.
The USA and Britain have contributed millions in military aid in recent years to help Lebanon’s army carry out border defense against ISIS and al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch.
Last month, Saudi Arabia announced that it was halting funding for Lebanese security forces in retaliation for Beirut’s siding with Iran, which backs the Lebanon-based militia Hezbollah.
However, due to the Syrian conflict, more than one million refugees to seek refuge in tiny Lebanon, adding to strains on its infrastructure. The Countries border town of Arsal was briefly overrun by ISIS and another jihadist faction al-Nusra in 2014.
