Beirut, Dec 14 (FN Agency) Lebanon’s armed forces require nearly $1 billion over the next three years, Najib Mikati, the head of Lebanese interim government, said on Friday. In February, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, in an interview with the newspaper Nida al-Watan, said that the Lebanese armed forces need reinforcement in personnel and equipment in light of a potential armed conflict with Israel. “The army’s current resources are very limited. Therefore, we are also asking the international community to commit to supporting our armed forces. Western countries have promised to help us. The army requires around $1 billion over the next three years,” Mikati said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Mikati recalled the international conference on Lebanon held in Paris in October, which raised 200 million euros ($210 million) for Lebanon’s armed forces. According to him, a new conference aimed at securing additional support is expected to take place soon. Israel’s security cabinet approved a US-brokered ceasefire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in late November. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained that the truce was needed to focus on the alleged Iranian threat and isolate Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He emphasized that Israel would resume hostilities if Hezbollah violated the deal. Washington’s ceasefire proposal includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon within 60 days. Under the plan, the Lebanese army will take control of southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah will relocate its forces north of the Litani River.