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Biden authorises $47m in aid to Lebanon's cash-strapped army

Biden authorises $47m in aid to Lebanon's cash-strapped army
MENA
1 min read
08 September, 2021
Joe Biden on Tuesday issued a memorandum intended to provide $47 million in aid to the cash-strapped Lebanese Armed Forces.
Members of Lebanon's armed forces have often had to take on additional work elsewhere [Getty]

US President Joe Biden authorised on Tuesday an aid package worth $47 million to Lebanon's military, as the country's economic meltdown has forced most soldiers into poverty.

Biden issued a memorandum directing Secretary of State Antony to withdraw up to $25 million in goods and services from the US government to provide immediate assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces.

He also approved withdrawal of up to $22 million in defence materials and supplies to be given immediately to the Lebanese army.

According to local Lebanese reports, the US aid will enable the Lebanese government to divert funds towards increasing the salaries of soldiers, which currently stand at less than $90 a month.

Members of Lebanon's armed forces have often had to take on additional work elsewhere, as the Lebanese pound continues to plummet against the US dollar.

In July, Lebanese Forces Commander Joseph Aoun warned that the country's economic meltdown is jeopardising the future of the armed forces.

Aoun warned that his country's military was experiencing "a great crisis which is set to get worse".