Russia Offers Fighter Jets to Lebanon As Gifts

Russia yesterday moved to expand its growing military influence in the Middle East when it announced it is giving Lebanon 10 fighter jets, in the most significant upgrade of Lebanon's military since the civil war ended almost two decades ago.

Russia's defence ministry said it was giving the secondhand MiG-29s to Beirut free of charge. The gift was part of a defence cooperation deal that would see Moscow train Lebanese military personnel.

Russia is also reportedly preparing to sell SA-20 anti-aircraft missiles to Iran. The Israelis have dispatched an envoy to Moscow to try to persuade the Kremlin not to go ahead with the deal, which would allow Tehran to shoot down Israeli fighter jets that swooped into Iranian airspace.

The moves signal the latest Russian efforts to regain its former cold war role as the Arab world's chief patron - and its main supplier of arms. They also trump a faltering US effort in Lebanon. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have long been western-oriented, but although the US has continued training troops, it has failed to deliver on requests for larger military hardware because of its wariness over Hezbollah.

"This is Russia challenging America's monopoly [on the LAF] and could also be a message to Israel after their support for Georgia in South Ossetia," said Elias Hanna, a retired Lebanese general. "I fear Lebanon will be caught in the middle."

defense experts say the MiGs are unlikely to alter the military balance of power between Lebanon and Israel, pointing out that Israel's air force will continue to enjoy overwhelming superiority. But the Russian jets will enable Beirut to replace its aging fleet of British Hawker Hunter jets, built in the 1950s.

"[The Hunters] are museum pieces. They are incredibly fabulous and old and kind of useless," said Robert Hewson, editor of Jane's Air-Launched Weapons guide. He added: "The Israelis won't be terribly happy about Lebanon having MiGs instead. But it doesn't change the military balance of power much. There is a broader Russian desire to be seen doing business in this part of the world. The US has been selling offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia. This is tit for tat, as well as Putin waving the flag."

Other experts said Russia was deepening its military relationship with Arab countries, while simultaneously co-operating with Israel. Moscow is now considering buying Israeli reconnaissance drones - its first purchase of western military hardware since the second world war.

"We have lots of old MiG-29s we don't need and more planes than we have well-trained pilots," Pavel Felgenhauer, a Moscow-based defence analyst, said last night.

Russia has recently been expanding its own military footprint across the region and beyond. Syria has offered a permanent facility for the Russian navy at Tartus in the eastern Mediterranean. The Russian navy is due to visit Cuba tomorrow for the first time since the collapse of communism. Last month, the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, offered Moscow the chance to open a base on its coastline during his first visit to the city since 1985. During talks with President Dmitry Medvedev, Gaddafi also discussed more than a billion pounds' worth of arms purchases.