The Bush administration has strongly criticized the efforts of the Western-backed Lebanese government to acquire weapons from Russia.

The military purchase in question are 10 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter-jets from Russia. The Russian Federal Military Cooperation Service will be providing the surplus aircraft after modernization free of charge to the Lebanese government.

The Bush administration has sought to dissuade the Lebanese government from accepting the fighter-jets on the ostensible grounds that such jets could fall into the hands of Hezbollah. The administration is warning about regional tensions flaring if Lebanon acquires the weapons.

“The rearmament of Hizbullah through Syria and Iran may re-incite confrontation with Israel, which could destroy Lebanon once again,” David Hale, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, told Arabic paper al-Hayat while in Beirut to discuss the weapons acquisition.

Lebanese officials retort that Washington has refused to sell Lebanese any offensive weapons or any decent defensive weapons, and that is why the nation turned to Russia.

“We are telling the Lebanese that they could work with us and build their military and security forces in a way that could bolster democracy and sovereignty,” a U.S. official, who did not want to be named, said, “or they could turn to countries that will use any arms deals to gain control of the government.”

This is the biggest bullshit to come out of the lips of the Bush administration in a while. They do not want Lebanon to acquire any weapons because it is stated official U.S. policy to support Israeli military hegemony in the region. They know these weapons will not fall into the hands of Hezbollah (as if they know how to operate then), and they also know that it will not tip the balance against Israel for these are 12 second-rate Russian jets against Israeli’s top A 600 American jets; nonetheless the idea that any Arab government government would have anything to defend itself with against Israel terrifies the Zionist establishment in Washington.

That is why all the weapons they have given Lebanon do not amount to, as one Lebanese commentator put it, the left wing of an Israeli jet. Thirdly, the United States is no stranger to using armaments to gain control of governments. And, finally, escalating tensions: Lebanon acquiring a few weapons or Israeli consistently violating Lebanese air/land space and just this week using an automatic weapon to fire across the border at Lebanese shepherds.