US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea said on Wednesday that Washington will reroute $72 million in US aid money to Lebanon to help pay wages for the country’s soldiers and police.
Why it matters: The United States is the largest supplier of aid to Lebanon’s armed forces, but Wednesday’s announcement marks the first time Washington has provided funds to pay the wages of the country’s security forces.
Lebanon’s currency has lost 97% of its value since the country’s economy collapsed in 2019. Since the crisis, monthly salaries for enlisted soldiers has dropped by seven-eighths to roughly $100 per month, while many officers now earn roughly $250 per month. This week the Lebanese lira hit a new low of 56,000 against the dollar.
In 2021, Lebanese Armed Forces chief Gen. Michel Aoun warned of growing desertions and said the army was struggling to feed its soldiers. The army had announced in 2020 it would no longer provide meat in its mess halls, and military officials began turning to Lebanon's allies and supporters for supplies — tires, spare parts and other basics — to keep things running.
