Photo shows Lebanese Army soldiers (Photo Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army will begin distributing monetary aid donated by the state of Qatar this week, to assist soldiers amidst the economic crisis.
This is the second round of financial aid from Qatar, the army said in a statement Wednesday. Earlier this year, Qatar announced its intent to donate $60 million to the Lebanese Army, though it is unclear how much of that money was received this week. L'Orient Today could not immediately reach an army spokesperson for clarification.
The Lebanese Army previously announced it received the first round of aid from Qatar in August. An army spokesperson told L’Orient Today the aid will go directly to soldiers' salaries, with each soldier receiving $100. According to the spokesperson, “Qatar has been sending 70 tons of food products to the military institution for around a year.”
The economic crisis in Lebanon — one of the worst in the world since the mid-1800s, according to the World Bank — has depleted the budget of the state and armed forces, and plunged most of the country into poverty.
The current average salary of a soldier amounts to less than $100 per month. Prior to the crisis, the average soldier's salary stood closer $800 per month. The army regularly receives aid from foreign countries, most recently from the US, Italy, Turkey and now Qatar.