Lebanon is increasing its supply of food, medicine and military supplies with the aid of international partners committed to its stability and security.
At the end of an international virtual conference hosted by French Defense Minister Florence Parly in June 2021, partner nations led by France, in conjunction with the United States and Italy, promised to help the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) weather the country’s economic crisis.
Parly reaffirmed her country’s commitment to continued support of Lebanon’s military and people, praising the LAF as the backbone of security and stability. The conference was aimed at soliciting international partners for food, medical supplies, and spare parts for military equipment.
In a speech at the conference, LAF Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun thanked participants for their confidence in Lebanon’s military institutions.
Qatar quickly responded, pledging to provide the LAF with 70 tons of food a month, and a Qatari Air Force plane carrying the first shipment arrived July 8, 2021, at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport.
“The Paris conference is meant to prompt partner nations to think creatively about how to help the LAF through 2021, but also in ways that allow the command of the Armed Forces to focus on its missions — border security, counterterrorism, internal stability,” said Aram Nerguzian, senior advisor at Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.
Because the LAF aims to represent the country as a whole and recoils from internal political and factional disputes, the Lebanese people view it as a guarantor of national unity, independence and sovereignty. The country has suffered a series of economic blows, including the Beirut port explosion in August 2020, that have hindered its ability to maintain military readiness without international support.
Sources: Lebanese Armed Forces, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reuters, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center