Beirut, March 3, IRNA – Lebanon Defense Minister Samir Moqbel said he will ask the government to take Iran’s past offers of military support seriously.


“The Iranian side was informed that when sanctions were lifted on Iran, we will study the Iranian (offer of) support for the army at the Cabinet,” Moqbel told reporters after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday.

The Cabinet is set to meet on Thursday for a regular session.
Moqbel expressed his desire for Lebanon to reconsider Iran’s aid package after Saudi Arabia announced its decision to halt $4 billion in assistance to the Lebanese Army and police last month.

Lebanon's defense minister said that his Iranian counterpart has ensured him of Iran's arm support.
Moqbel, who visited Iran in October 2014, had been lobbying for the Lebanese government to accept the Iranian offer of military aids.

Members of the Saudi-backed March 14 coalition in Lebanon had pressured the government not to accept the aid, arguing at the time that it would violate international sanctions against Iran.

Sanctions were lifted off Iran in January in a historic deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers over its peaceful nuclear program.

By IRNA