Saudi Arabia Suspends $3 Billion Aid to Lebanese Army

Saudi Arabia's state news agency reported on Friday, February 19, that the government has suspended a $3 billion aid package to the Lebanese Army for purchasing French-made weapons. Saudi officials stated that the reason for this decision was Lebanon's failure to condemn the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Reuters quoted a senior Saudi official as saying in a statement that the remaining $1 billion aid to Lebanon's Internal Security Forces has also been suspended. In response to this decision, Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam expressed deep regret and called for a reconsideration of the decision. Mr. Salam stated, "We express our deep appreciation to King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and hope for a reconsideration of this decision to assist our military and security forces." Saudi Arabia promised this financial aid to the Lebanese Army in 2013. At that time, Michel Sleiman, the President of Lebanon, described it as the largest financial aid to the country's armed forces in history. The first shipment of French-made weapons and military equipment under the contract funded by Saudi Arabia was sent to Lebanon last year. The aim was to strengthen the Lebanese Army to combat extremist Islamists supported by jihadist groups in Syria. A Lebanese security official stated on Friday that the Lebanese government has not yet officially received Saudi Arabia's decision. A senior Saudi official, in a statement published in Riyadh, said that the country will always stand by Lebanon and support it in difficult times. Part of this statement reads: "Despite this noble position, Saudi Arabia has faced the positions of the Lebanese government that contradict our policies regarding the Arab world and regional and international situations, and the reason is the confiscation of the political will of the Lebanese government by the group known as Hezbollah." Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia group, holds significant power and influence in Lebanese politics. As the largest rival of Iran, Saudi Arabia seeks to counter its influence in the region, including in Lebanon. In the statement from the senior Saudi official published by the state news agency, it was mentioned that at the recent Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation meetings, the Lebanese government "did not condemn the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad." The statement refers to the attack by Iranian protesters who stormed the diplomatic offices of Saudi Arabia in Iran last December in protest against the execution of a prominent Shia cleric by the Saudi government for inciting violence. Following these attacks, Saudi Arabia severed its diplomatic relations with Iran.