Support for Lebanon’s military has become more crucial as the southern part of the country witnesses heightened escalations between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s army has received a monthly payment from Qatar following a $20 million donation by the Gulf state last month that is aimed at supporting the cash-strapped country’s military institution.
The Lebanese army announced that it received the donation on Wednesday, with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun expressing his appreciation for Qatar’s “commendable” support.
“The Army Command received a monthly payment from the Qatari financial donation provided by His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, to the Lebanese Army, and began distributing it equally to all soldiers,” the statement read.
“The Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, appreciated this commendable step, which comes within the framework of the initiatives of the State of Qatar to support the military and improve their living conditions,” the statement added.
On July 1, Qatar provided the Lebanese army with a $20 million donation, adding to Qatar’s previous pledge of $60 million in 2022 to support the Lebanese military.
Such donations come against the backdrop of wider Qatari efforts aimed at supporting the country in multiple sectors as it grapples with a worsening economic situation.
The Lebanese currency has lost more than 95 percent of its value to the U.S. dollar since 2019, and the crisis-hit country still reeling from the impact of the 2020 Beirut Port explosion.
In May, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani reiterated his country’s support for Lebanon’s military during a meeting with Aoun in Doha.
The meeting came three months after the Qatar Fund For Development delivered the sixth and final batch of diesel and mazut to Lebanon under a $30 million agreement signed between Doha and Beirut last year.
In 2021, Qatar announced a year-long initiative to provide the army with 70 tonnes of food aid on a monthly basis.
Support for Lebanon’s military has become more crucial as the southern part of the country witnesses heightened escalations between Israel and Hezbollah.
On Thursday, Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed that Israel has killed at least 515 people in Lebanon since the beginning of the cross-border attacks.
The figure includes six people who were killed in an Israeli attack in Lebanon on Tuesday evening, a move that marked yet another dangerous escalation in the country and the region.
Israel said it targeted senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in the attack, who has been confirmed dead by the Lebanese group. Israel first attacked Beirut in January, where it killed senior Hamas official Saleh Al-Arouri.
Data by the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) says the cross-border attacks have forced at least 96,829 people in southern Lebanon to flee, many of whom moved to their relatives’ residences in other areas in Lebanon.
In 2006, Israel waged a 34-day war on Lebanon, killing 1,200 mostly Lebanese civilians, which ended with Hezbollah forcing Israeli soldiers out after weeks of intense attacks.
