Qatar shares strong ties with Lebanon and has long supported its institutions in various fields, including the military, as it faces its worst economic situation in decades.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani reiterated his country’s support for Lebanon’s military on Monday during a meeting with Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun.
Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, stressed Doha’s “support for the army and state institutions in Lebanon” while underlining his country’s “continuous support” for the Lebanese population, the Qatari foreign ministry said.
Aoun is in Doha to discuss ways to support the Lebanese military institution as the country faces a worsening economic situation, Lebanese media reported on Sunday.
Aoun is scheduled to meet Qatar’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Pilot Salem bin Hamad bin Aqeel Al Nabit, according to the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI).
The meeting is expected to address the needs of Lebanon’s military institution and explore ways to support it to continue its efforts in protecting the country’s security and stability, LBCI added.
Qatar shares strong ties with Lebanon and has long supported its institutions in various fields, including the military, as it faces its worst economic situation in decades.
In February, the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) delivered the sixth and final batch of diesel and mazut to Lebanon under a $30 million agreement signed between Doha and Beirut in August 2023.
The agreement stipulated the delivery of fuel for six months.
This came after Qatar pledged $60 million in assistance to the Lebanese military in 2022. The previous year, Qatar announced a year-long initiative to provide the army with 70 tonnes of food aid on a monthly basis.
The Gulf state also stepped in to support other sectors in Lebanon, especially after the 2020 Beirut Port explosion.
At the time, Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani dispatched personnel from the Qatari Search and Rescue Team of the Lekhwiya, or Internal Security Force, to help with emergency rescue operations.
Sheikh Tamim also donated $50 million to help rebuild the capital, with damages estimated to be worth at least $15 billion.
Then in 2021, QFFD and Lebanon’s health ministry signed a memorandum of understanding to reconstruct the old building of the Karantina Hospital in Beirut following the explosion.
QFFD, Education Above All Foundation, and Lebanon’s Ministry of Education signed another MoU to rebuild schools damaged by the blast in 2020.
Going back to 2006, Qatar led reconstruction efforts in Lebanon following the brutal Israeli war on the country, a move that the Lebanese population continued to highlight under the slogan “Shukran Qatar” translating to “Thank you Qatar.”
The Gulf state is currently a member of the Quintet Committee which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United States, and France.
The group was formed last year under an initiative led by the French Presidential Envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian in an effort to resolve Lebanon’s political impasse.
The Lebanese presidency seat has been vacant since former president Michel Aoun left office in October 2022. The country has since failed to elect a president at least 12 times.
Meanwhile, southern Lebanon has been a battlefield since last October between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza triggered the flare up that has raised concerns over the outbreak of another war in Lebanon.
Israel killed at least 351 people in southern Lebanon, including children and three journalists, according to figures by the Lebanese health ministry, last updated on May 9.
