BEIRUT, October 14 (RIA Novosti) – Tehran is ready to deliver military assistance to the Lebanese Army as soon as the donation goes through the required legal procedures, Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fathali said Tuesday.
"It [the military aid] has to go through special legal procedures, and if it is God's will, after the legal procedures are done the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately, without delay send the military aid," the envoy said after holding talks with Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.
Fathali underlined that the Iranian military "aid will include training and armament," will be "unconditional," and provided without any middleman.
In response to a question on whether "military equipment and specialists for training of Lebanese soldiers would be provided as part of the assistance," Fathali said that Iran has a long experience in fighting terrorism and "ready to share the experience with the brave Lebanese Army."
"All issues on training and armament will depend on the formal negotiations between officials of the two governments," the Iranian envoy added.
In September, the Iranian authorities said that they will send military aid to Lebanese forces to fight terrorists.
Saudi Arabia granted Lebanon $4 billion to strengthen its armed forces, while the United States allocated $1 billion. Washington has only sent two shipments of ammunition so far.
The Lebanese army is in need of military assistance to combat terrorist threat, as well as due to the deteriorating situation on the Syrian-Lebanese border, particularly in the mountainous region of Arsal.
