Rivals Tehran, Riyadh pledge billions to Lebanons armyCorrection:A previous version of this article gave an incorrect figure for the size of Lebanon's military. It has 65,000 members, not 16,000.

Lebanese army soldiers carry their weapons during clashes with Islamist militants in Tripoli on Oct. 25. (Stringer/Reuters)ByHugh NaylorNovember 4 at 11:54 AMBEIRUT Saudi Arabia and Iran have offered apparently competing aid packages to Lebanons small and modestly armed military as it confronts increasing attacks at home by militants with ties to extremists fighting in Syrias civil war.The pledges total billions of dollars worth of mostly light arms and underscore mounting concern among the Persian Gulf foes about the stability of a country where both have invested significant resources.The aid is on top of the more than $1 billion spent by the United States since 2006 to train and equip the 65,000-member military, which has limited authority and yields to Iran-backed Hezbollah, Lebanons powerful Shiite militia. Hezbollah supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his fight against Saudi-backed rebels.Many suspect that the offers of assistance from Riyadh and Tehran are simply another instance of one-upmanship between the Sunni and Shiite powerhouses.You have to look at this as a regional issue, as part of their broader competition for influence, said Elias Hanna, a retired Lebanese army general.
Lebanese army soldiers carry the coffin of Captain Jihad al-Haber, who was killed during fighting between Lebanese army soldiers and Islamist militants in Tripoli. (Sharif Karim/Reuters)

When they give to the Lebanese army, they know this means they can have hands in its politics and how its trained and equipped, he added.MotivationsIn December, Riyadh agreed to give$3 billionworth of French-made weapons to Lebanons military at a still-unspecified date. It also granted $1 billion in emergency aid to the countrys military and intelligence agencies in August after militants linked to extremists in Syria briefly captured the Lebanese border town of Arsal. Combined, the pledges amount to more than double the Lebanese militarys estimated annual budget.On Tuesday, France and Saudi Arabia signed a contract for the $3 billion deal, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement that did not give details on the types of weapons involved or when they would be delivered to Lebanon.During a visit to Beirut in September, the secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, responded with anarms offerfrom Tehran. According to Lebanese media reports, that consists primarily of antitank weapons, artillery and heavy machine guns.Iranian support for Lebanons military would seem to complicate a desire shared by Washington and Riyadh to use the army as a counter to Hezbollah. Iran relies heavily on the group, which was allowed to retain its weapons to confront Israel as part of a 1989 agreement that ended Lebanons 15-year civil war.For the moment, Tehrans interest in countering the advances in Iraq and Syria by Islamic State militants has aligned with the concerns of Washington and Riyadh. The U.S.-led coalition carrying out airstrikes against the extremist Sunni group in Iraq and Syria hasreportedlyagreed not to target forces loyal to Assad. Strikes on his forces also could hit fighters from Hezbollah and Iran, both firm allies of Assad.In Lebanon, there also is widening recognition among feuding religious groups of a need to reinforce the military to counter mounting attacks by militants linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaedas Syria affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, said Aram Nerguizian, an expert on Lebanons military and a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Lebanese army soldiers patrol the streets after being deployed to tighten security following clashes between Lebanese soldiers and Islamist gunmen. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

Last month, the military succeeded in quelling a revolt by Sunni extremists in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.You have a sectarian elite that has no choice but to let the LAF help provide stability, albeit while kicking and screaming, he said, referring to the Lebanese Armed Forces.Hezbollah, strained by the deployment of thousands of its fighters in Syria, has become increasingly reliant on the army for maintaining domestic stability.They need the army, and they absolutely realize that, said a Western diplomat who is based in the region and spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing a lack of authorization to discuss the subject with the media.But that relationship has angered many in Lebanons Sunni community, which is sympathetic to Syrias Sunni-led rebellion.They accuse the army of taking orders from Hezbollah, citing the militarys refusal to stop the groups fighters from entering Syria and its confrontations with Sunni militants tied to the war next door.In the eastern Bekaa area, the LAF is playing a direct support role for Hezbollah operations, and, for example, they will deploy to areas that Hezbollah has cleared and then set up checkpoints, said Tony Badran, a Middle East analyst at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.A divisive offerSo far, Irans military aid has not materialized. There also had been frustration over the perceived delay in implementing the $3 billion Saudi-French deal.Brig. Gen. Ali Kanso, a spokesman for Lebanons military, said the army earlier this year presented a list of desired weapons to Saudi Arabia and France, including tank ammunition, artillery and gear for counterterrorism operations.Military officials here hope the $3 billion package dovetails with a decade-long overhaul that includes the restructuring, under the guidance of U.S. advisers, of the armys three special forces units. Kanso denied swirling rumors in Beirut that Washington had warned the military to reject the offer of Iranian arms.The only tangible military help weve received is from the U.S. and Britain, he said during an interview last week, adding that Lebanons military has thus far received merely words and more words from Saudi Arabia and Iran.The Iranian offer has been especially divisive among Lebanese politicians.During a visit to Tehran last month, Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbels delegation declined to formally respond to Irans offer because of concern that accepting it could violate a 2007 U.N.Security Council resolutionrestricting that nations arms trade, said a senior Lebanese diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing a lack of authorization to discuss the subject with the media.Riyadhs allies in Lebanon suspect that the Iranian weapons could be destined for Hezbollah. Some of them also suspect that Tehran is more concerned with countering Saudi Arabias influence than helping the Lebanese military.Clearly, its a public-relations stunt, said a politician who was a senior official in the Saad Hariri government, which collapsed in 2011.Hariri, who lives in exile in Paris, has strong ties to Riyadh and played a key role in encouraging King Abdullah to pledge the initial $3 billion. He also was personally tasked with distributing the other$1 billionfrom Riyadh to Lebanons military and security agencies, said the former official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.The role of Hariri, who currently holds no official government position, in what amounts to affairs of the state has raised eyebrows among Irans allies in Lebanon.Hezbollah officials are critical of this, as well as Hariri allies opposition to the offer of Iranian weapons.A Hezbollah lawmakerrejectedthat stance, saying last month that it was not objective to refuse or complain about arms from Tehran offered in a smooth, practical manner, the Lebanese Daily Star newspaper reported.Suzan Haidamous contributed to this report.Hugh Naylor is a Beirut-based correspondent for The Post. He has reported from over a dozen countries in the Middle East for such publications as The National, an Abu Dhabi-based newspaper, and The New York Times.Posted byThavam