Russia is to supply Lebanon with 10 used MiG-29 fighter jets as a gift and is in talks with Beirut to sell it armoured vehicles for its ground forces, a top Russian armaments supply official said yesterday.
Mikhail Dmitriyev, who heads the Federal Military and Technical Cooperation Service, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying supplies of Russian weapons to Lebanon were possible now because the situation there had stabilised. He was referring to an 18-month crisis that ended in May with a deal to form a unity government between an anti-Syrian parliamentary majority alliance and a Damascus-backed coalition led by the Hizbollah movement.
The handover of the Russian aircraft to Beirut might provoke some unease in Israel, though some analysts disputed this.
"With some well-known reservations, Lebanon has always been and remains a West-leaning nation in this region, so I would not view this as a direct challenge (to Israel or the United States)," analyst Stanislav Belkovsky said. The MiG-29, codenamed Fulcrum by Nato, is one of Russia's most advanced military jets, designed for an air superiority role.
Ten of these Soviet-designed planes would not enable Lebanon to challenge Israel's air superiority directly, but could threaten Israeli overflights over Lebanon and Syria.
"Russia's Defence Ministry has decided to supply 10 of its MiG-29 fighters to Lebanon as a form of military and technical assistance," Mr Dmitriyev was quoted as telling reporters.
"We are now working jointly with our Lebanese colleagues on purchases of Russian armoured equipment, artillery and other military equipment for ground forces," he said. He said the aircraft were not new and each warplane had a different degree of wear. He said Russia would upgrade the fighters to normal export standards before delivery. Earlier this month Russia's air force commander grounded all of the country's MiG-29 jets after one of the aircraft crashed in eastern Siberia, the second such accident in as many months.
Mr Dmitriyev gave no time frame for the plane's delivery to Lebanon nor did he say how much they would cost.