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SOUTH LEBANON

France and Cyprus deliver equipment to the Lebanese Army

France and Cyprus deliver equipment to the Lebanese Army

French and Cypriot ambassadors at Beirut Port, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (Photo provided by the French Embassy)

A ceremony for the handover of French and Cypriot equipment to the Lebanese Army took place Friday at the Port of Beirut, attended by the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro, and his Cypriot counterpart, Maria Hadjitheodosiou. Also present were Brigadier General Tony Abboud, head of the Lebanese Army’s logistics branch; Brigadier General Guillaume Ponchin, France’s representative on the cease-fire monitoring committee; as well as French and Cypriot defense attachés and Lebanese officers, according to a statement from the French Embassy.

As part of the ongoing enhanced cooperation plan between the French and Lebanese armies, Lebanon’s armed forces received, free of charge, 10 backhoe loaders and 10 compactors from France to support engineering units in clearing and rehabilitating roads, particularly in southern Lebanon. The delivery also included maintenance parts for armored personnel carriers (VABs).

"The Lebanese Army has a major and central role to play in the future and reconstruction of this country. We will continue to support it with our international partners so it can fulfill all the responsibilities entrusted to it, particularly in implementing the cease-fire and Security Council Resolution 1701," Ambassador Magro emphasized.

France has contributed nearly €12 million over the past five years to strengthen the capabilities of the Lebanese Army, a pillar of the state and a guarantor of Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty. The International Conference in Support of the Population and Sovereignty of Lebanon, held in Paris on Oct. 24, 2024, mobilized $200 million to support and reinforce Lebanon’s security forces.

"The assistance provided today, consisting of 33 tons of supplies and support equipment for the Lebanese armed forces, is a demonstration of Cyprus’s solidarity with Lebanon and clear support for the Lebanese armed forces in meeting urgent needs," said Ambassador Hadjitheodosiou.

Since the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Nov. 27, the Lebanese Army has been deploying in southern Lebanon. However, this deployment has been hindered by the Israeli army, which the Lebanese military accuses of procrastination in its withdrawal following the cease-fire.

A ceremony for the handover of French and Cypriot equipment to the Lebanese Army took place Friday at the Port of Beirut, attended by the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro, and his Cypriot counterpart, Maria Hadjitheodosiou. Also present were Brigadier General Tony Abboud, head of the Lebanese Army’s logistics branch; Brigadier General Guillaume Ponchin, France’s representative on...