Pentagon approves $14.2m aid package for Lebanese Army

Washington has unlocked $14.2 million in new aid for the Lebanese Army, a timely lifeline for a force struggling to stay afloat amid Lebanon’s financial collapse.

The money will go toward training, logistics, equipment repairs, and basic support for soldiers all essentials to keep the institution functioning while the state’s coffers remain nearly empty.

U.S. officials say this is not just about charity. The Lebanese army is seen in Washington as Lebanon’s backbone: the only institution capable of holding the line, preventing unrest, and keeping the country’s fragile borders from sliding into chaos.

Since 2006, the U.S. has poured more than $3 billion into the Lebanese Army. This latest injection shows that, even as Washington juggles crises elsewhere, it considers the Lebanese army too important to let fail.

Still, experts warn that outside help can only go so far. Without reforms at home and a real plan to secure long-term funding, the army risks becoming yet another casualty of Lebanon’s prolonged collapse despite being one of the few institutions still seen as a symbol of unity.