US Plans to Reroute $67 Mln in Aid Towards Lebanon's Army

Arab World

January 29th, 5:08am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanese army members stand near a pickup truck with a rocket launcher in Chouaya, Lebanon, August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher

The United States plans to reroute $67 million of military assistance for Lebanon's armed forces to support members of the military as the country grapples with financial meltdown. According to a notification sent to Congress, the State Department intends to change the content of previously appropriated foreign military funding for Lebanon to include "livelihood support" for members of the Lebanese military, citing economic turmoil as well as social unrest. "Livelihood support for (armed forces) members will strengthen their operational readiness, mitigate absenteeism, and thus enable LAF members to continue fulfilling key security functions needed to stave off a further decline in stability," said the notification to Congress, seen by Reuters. Washington is the biggest foreign aid donor to Lebanon. US officials had pledged additional support in October. The news was praised in Washington. "It is in the United States' national security interest to help these servicemen make ends meet and continue supporting the Lebanese people, and I'm really glad to see the administration putting our security assistance dollars to Lebanon toward that goal," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said in a statement.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3442976/us-plans-reroute-67-mln-aid-towards-lebanons-army