Lebanon's Defense minister Elias "Von Moltke" Murr is not ecstatic.
After all the fleet of 10 MIG29 that Russia agreed to supply Lebanon with ('pro-bono') are not in the immediate cards, and most probably (if ever) will not be delivered under his
watch!
Senior Russian Defense officials have whispered that the MIGs "will never be delivered to a rag tag government of multiple & dubious allegiances..." After all, the MIGs are the pride of Russia's aero defense industry, and the Russians' memory is still fresh with the (reverse) embarrassment of the infamous 1969' Mirage affair fiasco. In a nutshell, the Official let it be known that unless "opposition forces" (read, Hezbollah-Aoun tendem) are in FULL control of the government's reins in Beirut, the Lebanese Air Force will have to contend with THE Cesna!
More importantly, the Russians have implied in so many words that when delivered, the MIGs will have to be based, manned & serviced by "natives" which requires an extension of the Russian base (Tartous) somewhere ON LEBANESE soil!
Is Elias Murr depressed?
Well, he is said to be harping in the 'court' of General Michel Aoun, a tune that is all too familiar with this family of political opportunists: "General, let me 'fix' & mend the rift of the Tayyar in Washington ('Zabbet' in the Lebanese vernacular)"
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