Soldiers deployed on a road leading to the village of Ersal, in Békaa, in 2014. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP Archives)
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces will deliver its first batch of nearly three tons of medical aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) via military airlift, AFP learned from the office of Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Monday.
According to the source, "a first package of nearly three tons of medical donations will be delivered this evening," to Lebanon, which is facing an unprecedented economic crisis and fears the spillover of the ongoing Hamas-Israel war.
Since the beginning of the war, triggered by a Hamas attack on Israeli soil on Oct. 7 followed by a massive Israeli army offensive in Gaza, skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah occur daily, though typically confined to the border area. Mr. Lecornu announced the upcoming medical support to the Lebanese army during a visit to Lebanon on Nov. 2nd.
The Lebanese army, crucial for maintaining the country's stability, struggles to meet the basic needs of its 80,000 personnel due to Lebanon's severe economic downturn. It has received sporadic aid from Qatar and the United States to pay military salaries.
The war between Israel and Hamas, the ruling party in the Gaza Strip, has resulted in thousands of deaths, mostly civilians, since Oct. 7. Daily shootings across the Israel-Lebanon border have led to at least 90 deaths in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters, but also at least ten civilians, an AFP count shows. On the Israeli side, nine people have been killed, including six soldiers, according to Israeli authorities.