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Lebanese Army Receives First Batch of US Aircrafts

An A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft is seen in Hamat Air Base in Lebanon’s mountains October 31, 2017. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim
An A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft is seen in Hamat Air Base in Lebanon’s mountains October 31, 2017. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim
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Lebanese Army Receives First Batch of US Aircrafts

An A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft is seen in Hamat Air Base in Lebanon’s mountains October 31, 2017. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim
An A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft is seen in Hamat Air Base in Lebanon’s mountains October 31, 2017. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim

The Lebanese Army received on Tuesday two US A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft, within the framework of the US military aid program to Lebanon, during a ceremony held at the “Hamat” airbase in the area of Batroun, north of the country.

Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, US Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, US Central Command Air Force Commander General for Southwest Asia Jeffrey Harrigian and a number of Lebanese and American officers attended the ceremony.

The planes will be used as armed observation aircraft, a security source in Lebanon told Reuters, adding that such a move would represent a big upgrade for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

In a speech on the occasion, Aoun said the two new aircraft - which have advanced combat and surveillance capabilities - would “make a qualitative leap in improving the aerial capabilities of the LAF.”

The army commander expressed his gratitude for the “American support, which contributed to the activation of the army’s capabilities in the face of terrorism.”

Richard, for her part, said the significant increase in LAF combat capability would ensure that the Army would remain a national unifying force, “a bulwark against extremism and terrorism.”

“We have recently announced another $120 million in foreign military financing, which brings the total investment in the LAF to over $160 million just this year,” she added.

The Lebanese army commander held a meeting last week with the US Ambassador and British Ambassador Hugo Shorter, during which Lebanese officers presented the needs of the Lebanese army in weapons, ammunition and equipment as part of its counterterrorism efforts, within the framework of annual programs agreed upon since 2009.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.