The United States has threatened to halt all aid to Lebanon if the Beirut accepts military aid offered by the Iranian regime last week during a visit to the country by Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Citing an anonymous official, Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar reported on Friday that As soon as Shamkhani announced last week that the Iranian regime will give arms to the Lebanese army, the US immediately sent a stern warning to Lebanese officials.
A source told Al-Akhbar that “the US government threatened, directly and indirectly, to withhold all aid from the Lebanese army and to stop security cooperation if Lebanon breaches the sanctions against Iran and accepts the Iranian grant.”
“The US’ message is crystal clear this time: accepting this ‘gift’ could end all US aid to the Lebanese army,” the report said.
According to Al Akhbar, the Iranian regime has offered to send the Lebanese army “TOW (anti-tank) missiles and launchers, night goggles, 120mm and 60mm mortar shells, ammunition for T55 and T62 tanks, and Doshka machine-guns and ammunition.”
Lebanese Hezbollah praised the Iranian regime offer to provide arms.
Last week, IRGC Brig. Gen. Mohsen Kazemeini, the commander of Tehran’s IRGC described the current developments in the region and the formation of an international coalition against ISIS as an “unprecedented development in history.”
“Iraq and Syria are the frontlines of Iran’s defense and we should not overlook them and ignore developments in these countries”, he said adding the United States does not want the Iranian regime to “play a central role in the Middle East region”.
Lebanese Hezbollah is fighting in Syria to save the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
