Le Drian Visits Beirut on Sunday to Supervise Arms Delivery
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will arrive on Sunday evening in Beirut to oversee the long-awaited delivery of weapons to the Lebanese army under a Saudi financed deal.
According to An Nahar newspaper published on Friday, the delivery of the first shipment of $3 billion worth of weapons to the army will be held later on Monday during a ceremony at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport's air base.
The French minister is also expected to hold talks with prominent Lebanese officials.
Le Drian will also deliver a speech during a ceremony at the French Embassy in Beirut's Sodeco area.
The first batch of arms reportedly includes 48 Milan rockets.
Saudi Arabia and France inked the arms deal in Riyadh in November.
The deal also includes training programs for the Lebanese army run by the French military.
It aims to boost Lebanon's military as it struggles to contain the rising tide of violence linked to the civil war in neighboring Syria.
In August, the kingdom also offered another $1 billion in funds to allow the army to purchase supplies immediately.
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