Greece will send a batch of armored vehicles to Lebanon, the country’s Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias announced following talks with his Lebanese counterpart, Michel Menassa.
A tank landing ship from Greece is scheduled to deliver armored and transport vehicles to Beirut in the near term, according to the Greek Reporter.
Dendias said the transfer is intended to strengthen Lebanon’s stability and defense capacity, noting that Athens’ backing already includes training Lebanese Armed Forces officers at its military schools.
Moreover, he recalled that Greece had supported the renewal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate during its term on the UN Security Council.
UNIFIL, the long-running UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, works alongside the Lebanese Armed Forces to uphold the truce reached last November between Israel and Hezbollah.
Greece currently contributes a frigate to the mission and will continue its deployment if requested by Beirut, the Greek Reporter explained.
Rising Tensions in Lebanon
The announcement of military support from Greece comes as Lebanon faces continuing tensions with Israel.
Despite the ceasefire that ended over a year of hostilities following the Gaza war and a two-month conflict in Lebanon, Israel has continued strikes, saying it targets Hezbollah positions and operatives.
Yesterday, UNIFIL reported that Israeli forces fired from a tank at its peacekeepers near a military post in southern Lebanon, even though the truce arrangement required Israel to withdraw from the area.
At the same time, the Lebanese government is taking steps to place all weapons under exclusive state control.
In August, Beirut instructed the army to prepare a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year, following US pressure and continued Israeli attacks.
