Lebanon PM Wants to Discuss Russian Arms Purchase to 'Make Army Stronger'

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Lebanon Prime Minister Saad Hariri during the meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed hope that his visit to Moscow would facilitate Russian arms supply for the Lebanon army.

"We hope that this visit will help discuss the possibility of buying Russian weapons in order to make the [Lebanese] army stronger and more combat-ready," Hariri said.

The prime minister noted that his visit was aimed at developing bilateral relations in all areas, including military and social.

Earlier in August, the Lebanese military launched an offensive to clear the territories bordering Syria from Daesh militants. The Lebanese armed forces carried out the operation without coordination with the Syrian forces or Hezbollah militants, who also started a similar campaign to clear Daesh from the Syrian territories.   

In August, the Lebanese army and Hezbollah declared a ceasefire to hold negotiations with Daesh terrorists. The terrorists agreed to return the remains of eight Lebanese soldiers abducted in 2014, as well as the bodies of Shiite militia fighters. In return, the Syrian side agreed to allow the evacuation of Daesh terrorists to Abu-Kamal city in the country's northeastern Deir ez-Zor province. Both the Lebanese military and Hezbollah said they believe that Daesh's evacuation indicated their surrender.

Hezbollah, along with the Syrian army, has been conducting operations against Daesh on the Syrian side of the border. The operation resulted in a significant advance of Lebanese and Syrian troops in the region and severe losses of Daesh.