Ahmadinejad, Obama & Medvedev to bolster Lebanese military

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi visited an Iranian military equipment exhibit on Sunday

The Iranian regime will soon follow the lead of President Obama and his Russian counterpart by strengthening its defense ties with Lebanon.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Sunday called for the expansion of defense cooperation between Tehran and Beirut, according to Iranian news outlets.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has done great things for Lebanon in difficult situations," Hariri said in a meeting with Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi on Sunday. "The defense ministries of Iran and Lebanon should pave the way for the expansion of defense relations between the two countries."

Hariri, who arrived in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Saturday for a three-day visit, said that "the Lebanese government will try to strengthen Lebanon's army with all its might."

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri seated next to Iran's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, apparently signing some sort of agreement

General Vahidi reassured the Lebanese Prime Minister that Iran would "stand beside" the Lebanese army and the Hezbollah organization.

As a symbolic gesture, the General presented Mr. Hariri with a gift: an Iranian-made Tondar (Thunder) machine gun, used in urban warfare.

Earlier this month, US lawmakers, under pressure from the Obama administration, agreed to lift a freeze on $100 million in US military aid to Lebanon.

The US embassy, in April, released a statement saying that various arms shipments had already been delivered to Lebanon. The statement said as follows:

"The United States delivered to the Lebanese Army the first in a series of shipments of weapons and ammunition... This equipment will be supported with training provided by the United States government. The United States is committed to providing assistance to the LAF to help them increase their capacity. This assistance includes training and equipment to meet the LAF's long-term needs."

And, after meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin earlier this month, Mr. Hariri announced that Moscow would provide the Lebanese Army with helicopter gunships, tanks and munitions, including six MI 24 helicopters, 31 T-72 tanks, 36 cannons of 130 mm caliber, around half a million different munitions for medium-sized weapons, and 30,000 artillery shells. Hariri added that he hoped to finalize a deal to acquire MIG-29 fighter jets from Russia, which Russia had originally promised to give the Lebanese air force. The Lebanese prime minister highlighted the importance of security and military ties between Russia and Lebanon.

The latest Lebanese/Iranian defense pact would essentially consummate the establishment of a new Axis comprised of three entities: the Obama, Ahmadinejad and Medvedev/Putin regimes - otherwise known as "The Axis of Virtue & Morality."