King Abdullah: Lebanon's Key Backer

Saudi King Abdullah has been praised by top Lebanese leaders for supporting Lebanon at times of crises. Many of them described him as Lebanon's “Key Backer.”

One of his latest grants to Lebanon was in December 2013 when he pledged three billion dollars for the purchase of arms from France for the benefit of the Lebanese army.

In August last year, al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri made a short surprise visit to Beirut announcing that Riyadh had provided Lebanon's army with one billion dollars in aid.

Abdullah had expressed his oil-rich state's support for Beirut against terrorism.

The Lebanese army has been engaged in a fighting with al-Qaida-linked terrorists and the Islamic State group since they overran the northeastern border town of Arsal in August last year.

G.K.

M.T.