"Tammam Salam, speaking ahead of a visit to France this week, welcomed French arms deliveries due "in the coming weeks", but said his country's military needed more," Agence France Presse reported.
According to Mr. Salam, Lebanon's army has a "respectable defense capacity" with around 70,000 military personnel and 10,000 being currently recruited. However, the country needs "a lot more aid for it," the Prime Minister admitted.
"Things are moving – I'm very confident. All the deals have been signed… We're in agreement on 90 percent of the types of weapons. The delivery should begin in the coming weeks," Tammam Salam told Agence France Presse.
Mr. Salam stated that the supplies would include "helicopters and the weapons necessary to help the army properly defend against incursions and attack from abroad, particularly those by terrorists".
The Lebanese Prime Minister rejected the possibility that Islamic State would establish "an Islamic caliphate in Lebanon," stressing that the danger is that IS or Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra "will try to weaken Lebanon."
The longstanding military conflict in Syria poses a substantial threat to Lebanon, due to the growing instability in the Middle Eastern region. The UK has already stepped in to boost Lebanon's defense, establishing observation posts on the Lebanese-Syrian border, the Prime Minister said. Additional posts were erected in the east of Lebanon several weeks ago, where the country's forces have fought radical Islamists coming from Syria.
