Arming the LAF with Night Vision Equipment

JINSA
Report #: 984
07 May '10

The UNIFIL political officer, meeting with the JINSA Flag & General Officer delegation on the Lebanese border, mentioned a "donors' conference" in Beirut dealing with the issue of providing arms, funding and training to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). She mentioned anti-tank missiles. When asked against whose tanks the LAF expected to fight, she said that wasn't her problem, but she did mention LAF operations against the Palestinian militias in northern Lebanon in 2007. "Lebanon is a sovereign country, and the donors took seriously the requests made by the government."

Lebanon is a semi-sovereign country. Parts of it are occupied by Palestinians in refugee camps that are "no go zones" for the government; parts are occupied by the Hezbollah army and its Iranian IRGC partners and by Syria. And part of the government is occupied by Hezbollah - which shot its way into the Cabinet after the last election. If the world is building Lebanon an army, it would be wise to ask against whom that army plans to fight.

"Not Hezbollah" would be the first answer. The LAF is 30% Shi'ite and there are close relations between members of the LAF and members of Hezbollah - sometimes family relations. The idea that the LAF would dispossess Hezbollah of its weapons on behalf of border security with Israel is no less foolish than the idea that the Palestinian Army would dispossess Palestinians of their weapons on behalf of security for Israel.

And if the answer is "the Palestinian militias," the question would be, "do they now have tanks?" The answer would be, "no."

(Read full report)

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