The French Defence Ministry signed a deal with Lebanon on 4 November to provide $3bn in weapons and military equipment to the Lebanese armed forces. The deal is being financed by Saudi Arabia.

According to Reuters, the first shipments will arrive in early 2015 and will continue for 36 months.

France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the arms would enable the Lebanese military to “carry out its mission to defend the territory and combat terrorism, while [the country] is under threat”.

The civil war in neighbouring Syria is destabilising Lebanon, already divided by sectarianism. Shia militant group Hezbollah is fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime while Sunni militants in Tripoli clash regularly with the army. Syrian militant groups have also been attacking the border between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to finance the Lebanese military’s equipment is widely seen as an attempt to counter Iranian influence in the region and support Sunni forces.