BEIRUT (AP) – Qatar has donated USD60 million to the Lebanese army, hard hit by the Mediterranean nation’s unprecedented economic meltdown, Qatar News Agency reported on Thursday.
The announcement came shortly after Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrived in Beirut, where he is expected to meet senior Lebanese officials.
Lebanon’s nearly three-year crisis has put unprecedented pressure on the United States (US)-backed army’s operational abilities, wiping out soldiers’ salaries and wrecking morale.
The overall deterioration puts at risk one of the few forces unifying Lebanon – the military.
Over the past years, the army has been receiving assistance, including food supplies, from friendly countries.
Al Thani, who is also Qatar’s deputy prime minister, is in Lebanon to attend the Arab Foreign Ministers Consultative Meeting, the report said.
