Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — Iran and Lebanon have been discussing a weapons deal.

Officials said a high-level Lebanese delegation was expected to arrive in Teheran to discuss Iranian military aid.

They said Teheran has already submitted a list of combat platforms and weapons offered to Beirut’s military and security forces.

Iran has been the latest of several countries to offer military aid to Lebanon amid the war with Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.

Russia has proposed the sale of MiG-29 fighter-jets and air defense systems while France was discussing helicopters and training. The United States remains the biggest provider, with more than $1 billion in military and security aid since 2006.

“The details of the arms assistance which Teheran is ready to supply to the Lebanese Army will be studied in the presence of a delegation of high-ranking officers,” Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Muqbel said.

In an interview on Hizbullah’s Al Manar television on Oct. 3, Muqbel said he would head a defense and military delegation to Iran over the next 10 days. The defense minister expressed the hope that Iran’s offer was suitable for Lebanon’s military.

Neither Iran nor Lebanon disclosed Teheran’s offer. Iran’s chief proxy, Hizbullah, has been deemed the largest military force in Lebanon and operates an arsenal of 100,000 missiles and rockets.

On Sept. 29, Iranian Supreme National Security Council director Ali Shamkhani arrived in Beirut for talks on military assistance. Shamkhani said Teheran was prepared to begin weapons shipments in the near future.

“The donation will be sent in the near future, and it will be delivered to the Lebanese defense minister during his forthcoming visit to Iran,” Shamkhani said.

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