LEBANESE SECURITY FORCES TO RECEIVE $72 MILLION IN STIPENDS FROM THE US

Wed 25 January 2023:

In the midst of a lengthy economic crisis in the Middle Eastern nation, the US will give members of Lebanon’s security forces a total of $72 million in cash stipends over the course of six months, the US embassy in Beirut announced on Wednesday.

“In light of the urgency of Lebanon’s dire economic situation, we asked for and received the consent of the US Congress to re-purpose a significant portion of our security assistance to support hardworking men and women of the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) and ISF (Internal Security Forces) who faithfully report to duty to protect their homeland, with critical funds to put food on the table for themselves and their families,” US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea said.

Under the LAF-ISF Livelihood Support Program administered by the UN Development Programme, soldiers and servicemembers will receive $100 per month for six months, for a total of $72 million. This marks the first time the US has provided such financial support to Lebanese security forces.

Shea added that Lebanon’s political leaders should use the six months to enact reforms required by the IMF in order to get the country’s economy back on track so that the government can sustainably pay the salaries of security forces.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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