Lebanon plans to rebuild army

Beirut: Lebanon said on Saturday it was committed to building up its armed forces after complaints by Israel about Western assistance to the military following a deadly border clash between the two countries.

Two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist and a senior Israeli officer were killed in a rare cross-border skirmish on Tuesday, the worst such violence since a 2006 war between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters.

The clash — in which Lebanon and Israel gave different accounts of what happened — raised fears of wider conflict.

Both countries have since worked to calm tension at the border.

Fight for dignity

Speaking in the southern Lebanese village of Adaisseh where the clash occurred, President Michel Sulaiman said the cabinet would meet to ratify a three- or five-year plan to arm the military "so that it can protect the nation's dignity".

"The government will put forth a plan to arm the army regardless of the position of some countries," Sulaiman was quoted as saying by the National News Agency. He did not say when the plan would be approved. Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said he had spoken to France and the United States about the Jewish state's worries.

"We think it is a mistake to arm the Lebanese army with weapons, with advanced systems," Barak said in an interview with Israel Radio earlier this week.

Asked whether Paris or Washington had paid attention to Israel's complaint, Barak said: "Not really. Not really...."