Finance minister signs July bonus decree for military personnel, retirees and martyrs’ families

BEIRUT — Finance Minister Yassine Jaber on Wednesday signed a decree granting a July financial bonus to active-duty military personnel, retirees and the families of fallen soldiers, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.

He then referred it to the Cabinet in line with the applicable legal procedures, NNA added.

The aid, set at LL4 million (around $45) per month for active-duty soldiers and LL12 million (around $134) per month for retirees starting July 1, 2025, is to be funded by a fuel tax approved by the Cabinet but challenged by unions, political parties and civil society groups.

That fuel tax has been suspended by the State Shura Council — the high court responsible for ruling on administrative matters — on July 16, without affecting the aid distribution.

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Fuel tax hike denounced as a 'violation of the Constitution'

Since the onset of Lebanon's financial crisis in 2019, public sector salaries, including pensions, have collapsed due to the sharp depreciation of the Lebanese Lira. Retired Lebanese military personnel regularly hold protests demanding for increase in their wages, denouncing what they see as systemic injustice, claiming that military retirees have been disproportionately affected compared to other public sector employees who have received salary increases.