Qatar donates $20 million for Lebanon’s soldier salaries as economic crisis persists

The Gulf state of Qatar has donated Lebanon’s army $20 million as part of a $60 million aid package, announced in 2022, to boost soldiers’ salaries. The funds will be distributed equally among military personnel, according to the Lebanese Armed Forces (Laf).

Lebanon is facing the prospect of an intense conflict against Israel as the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Israeli military engage in frequent exchanges of cross-border fire over the raging Gaza crisis that erupted last year.

Regular exchanges of fire across Lebanon-Israel border

The Israel-Hamas fighting has been continuing since October 7 as Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli cities, killing some 1,200 people and taking several others hostages. Israel’s retaliatory strikes, on the other hand, have already claimed nearly 38,000 lives.

The Lebanese Armed Forces (Laf) are not directly involved in the conflict but it has a presence in the south and a soldier got killed last December by Israel shelling. Lebanon and Israel do not have diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war.

But the government in the capital Lebanese city of Beirut has stressed that it does not seek another conflict. Hezbollah has said it is ready to stop its attacks once the Gaza crisis ends. But a ceasefire in the besieged enclave is proving difficult to achieve.

Lebanese soldiers taking additional jobs as inflation soars

The exchanges of fire across the Lebanon-Israel border have been increasing in scope and intensity. One suggestion to defuse a potential broader conflict has been to deploy more Laf soldiers to south Lebanon in order to alleviate tensions.

Last year, the US announced a $72 million cash assistance to the Lebanese government to support the salaries of the police and soldiers. The US is a key donor to the Laf, providing more than $3 billion in military assistance since 2006.

Since the onset of Lebanon economic crisis in 2019, soldiers’ salary has plummeted. The national currency has lost about 98% of its value against the US dollar on the parallel market, and inflation has been soaring. Soldiers have been taking extra jobs.