A shipment of US weapons pledged to the Lebanese army arrived Monday at Beirut's airport, as Lebanon continues to battle jihadis along its borders.
A statement released by the army said that the shipment included a number of TOW anti-armor missiles, along with their respective launching pads.
US weapons are being delivered to the Lebanese army on a regular basis, though not all shipments are announced.
The weapons delivery comes as the Lebanese army is assessing the possibility of liberating the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal from militants.
Hezbollah, currently fighting alongside the Syrian army against militants in the border region of Qalamoun, has warned that its fighters would expel extremists from Arsal’s outskirts if the state failed to do so.
Militants have been holed up in the mountains surrounding Arsal since spring 2014, when they were driven by Hezbollah and the Syrian army from major Qalamoun cities.
While the US has donated more than $1 billion in aid to the Lebanese army over the last decade, most previous donations had been non-lethal equipment, including armored personnel carriers, light aircraft and communication systems.
Last February, a US weapons shipment included over 70 M198 Howitzers as well as 26 million rounds of ammunition including small, medium and heavy artillery rounds.
In January, the US delivered dozens of brand new armored Humvees to help protect Lebanese soldiers.
