DHAKA: Saudi Arabia is to give Lebanon’s army a grant of $3bn.

Lebanese president Michel Sleiman made the announcement in a televised address after the funeral of a senior Lebanese politician killed in a car bomb attack.

He said it would help fight terrorism, reports the BBC.

Mohamad Chatah, a Sunni Muslim, was a staunch critic of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon’s Shia Hezbollah movement that backs him.

Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah have taken opposite sides in the Syrian conflict.

‘The king of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is offering this generous and appreciated aid of $3bn to the Lebanese army to strengthen its capabilities,’ Sleiman said in his address.

He said it was the largest assistance provided in Lebanon’s history and would be used to buy weapons from France.

BDST: 1243 HRS, DEC 30, 2013
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor