¤The Saudi $3bn grant to the army via France

On 29 December 2013, two days after the assassination of Mohamad Chatah, President Sleiman announced a Saudi grant of three billion dollars to arm the army with French equipment; its execution stalled and the grant was then cancelled in February 2016 as punishment for Lebanon's positions on Iran.

Note: The grant was legitimate support for the army by mutual consent, but tying it to purchases from France and then halting it in 2016 for political reasons shows how the arming of the Lebanese army remains hostage to regional calculations instead of a defence plan approved by the state.