Will nuke deal open door to Iranian military assistance to Lebanon?
The Iranian nuclear agreement has removed a major obstacle to Tehran's offer of military assistance to Lebanon, but government dysfunction in Beirut remains a stumbling block.
BEIRUT — The Islamic Republic of Iran has on several occasions offered to support and supply the Lebanese army with weapons and gear. The most recent offer, made in late 2014, appears suited to the army's needs in combating the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra, but government dysfunction and disagreement in the Cabinet are preventing action even after the apparent removal of a major international barrier to its acceptance.
Iran made its first offer in August 2010, in the wake of clashes in Adaisseh between the Lebanese and Israeli armies, when Israeli forces crossed the Blue Line presumably to uproot a tree blocking its surveillance cameras. Three Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist and an Israeli officer died in the fighting.
