Neighboring Qatar is providing financial support to the Lebanese army

Qatar, an energy-rich country, is providing 60 million in aid to Lebanon’s military, which is in dire financial straits.

The Doha Foreign Ministry made the announcement on Thursday (June 30th).

The ministry said in a statement that Qatar was cooperating with the Lebanese republic.

The announcement came ahead of a visit by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani to Lebanon.

Qatar says the brotherhood will highlight Doha’s support for the

Lebanese people and the importance and necessity of joint Arab action.

Highlighting Lebanon’s financial situation, the World Bank says the country is in its worst financial situation since 1850.

The small Mediterranean country defaulted on its debt in 2020.

The country’s currency has lost about 90 percent of its value in the local market.

The United Nations has even identified four out of five Lebanese as poor.

Meanwhile, due to the economic crisis, the salaries of the army have also come down. The budget of the soldiers has  reduced.

Meat excluded from the diet of soldiers on duty in 2020 due to rising food prices.

A Lebanese military source said the soldiers’ salaries would  paid with the money provided by Qatar.

Earlier, in July last year, Lebanon announced that

• it would supply 60 tons of food per month to the army for one year.
• Since the end of the 15-year civil war in 1990,
• the country has  plagued by a financial crisis due to corruption and mismanagement by the ruling regime.

  In addition, the Gulf Arab allies stopped providing assistance due to diplomatic disputes over

the dominance of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

Meanwhile, the country has sought the help of international donors, including the rich Gulf Arab states, to rebuild.

In response, the International Monetary Fund signed a 3 billion deal with Lebanon in April.🔱