(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The U.S. State Department has approved a $462 million deal to sell six military aircrafts to Lebanon to increase the country’s counterterrorism capability, according to a press release by the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
DSCA notified Congress about the sale on Friday, adding that delivery to Lebanon covers technical documentation and U.S. government training support to the Lebanese Army, which has been battling jihadists on the eastern borders of Lebanon.
Hezbollah has also been carrying out a military operation in eastern Lebanon, including a battle around Arsal’s outskirts which has escalated since May 4. The recent U.S. sales announcement comes five months after an annual security assessment issued by the U.S. National Intelligence removed Iran and Hezbollah from the list of U.S. terror threats.
The deal includes six A-29 Super Tucano planes, eight PT6A-68A Turboprop engines, eight ALE-47 countermeasure dispensing systems, 2,000 advanced precision kill weapon systems, and eight missile launch detection systems, among others.
DSCA said the principal contractors would be from Colorado, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Virginia, and Utah.
The deal will also see the delivery of non-selective Availability Anti-spoofing Module (SAASM) embedded global positioning system / initial navigation system (EGIs), spare and repair parts, flight testing, maintenance support, and support equipment.
The State Department said the sale would serve “U.S. national, economic, and security interests by providing Lebanon with airborne capabilities needed to maintain internal security, enforce United Nation’s Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701 and counter terrorist threats.”