Prime Minister Tammam Salam hoped Sunday that Lebanon will receive the military helicopters from France sooner than scheduled in order to be able to fight jihadists who are crossing from Syria into the country.
In an interview with the French daily “Le Journal De Dimanche,” Salam noted that the discussions are underway in order to deliver the helicopters at the start of the program rather than at its end, so that Lebanon will manage to use the rockets against the terrorists located in the mountainous areas.
The PM pointed out that the airstrikes launched by the US-led coalition against the Islamic State and the al-Nusra Front in Syria are symbolic and not enough, stressing that defeating these terrorist organizations requires presence on the ground.