Qatar extends support for Lebanon's army after meeting of leaders in Doha

President Joseph Aoun's visit follows a second Qatari fuel shipment to Lebanon this year

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim receives Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Royal Palace in Doha. AFP

Qatar will continue its financial support for Lebanon's army, as well as provide it with 162 military vehicles, according to a joint statement issued after talks between Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Doha on Wednesday.

The renewal of Qatar's $60 million grant will go towards the army's payment of salaries, while the vehicles are to "enable it to carry out its national duties of maintaining stability and controlling the borders throughout Lebanese territory", the statement said.

The leaders "emphasised the need to address all regional issues through dialogue and diplomacy, including de-escalation in southern Lebanon", where Israel continues to carry out attacks and maintains a military presence despite a ceasefire signed in November. They also stressed the need for Lebanon to move forward with economic reforms, the statement said.

Mr Aoun, who arrived in Doha late on Tuesday for his first official visit to the Gulf state, thanked Sheikh Tamim for the support Qatar has provided to Lebanon across various sectors, the Lebanese presidency said.

Sheikh Tamim said the opportunity is now available, following Mr Aoun’s election and the formation of a new Lebanese government, to activate and expand this support, the presidency added.

"Qatar is ready to provide Lebanon with whatever it needs in the fields of electricity, energy and any other sector," said Sheikh Tamim.

The talks concluded with a private meeting between the two leaders, the statement read.

Mr Aoun was accompanied by Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji. Lebanon seeks to intensify efforts to rebuild its regional alliances and secure critical support amid continuing economic and political challenges.

Mr Aoun told Qatar News Agency on Tuesday that relations between Lebanon and Qatar have always been rooted in mutual respect and a shared commitment to strengthening co-operation.

Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara also landed in Doha on Tuesday. He met Sheikh Tamim to discuss ways of developing bilateral ties.

Beirut and Damascus have been cautiously working to restore relations with Arab states since the fall of Bashar Al Assad, whose regime dominated Lebanese political life for decades and has been implicated in the assassination of several Lebanese figures critical of Syrian influence.

Mr Aoun’s visit comes on the heels of a second Qatari fuel shipment to Lebanon this year. Delivered through the Qatar Fund for Development, the 6,000-tonne shipment arrived at Lebanon's Tripoli port on Monday. It is intended to bolster the operational capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces and contribute to national security and stability, Qatar's state news agency said.

Qatar is one of the providers of financial and in-kind support to the Lebanese army and pledged support for the country's reconstruction in February after the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group.

Lebanon remains under pressure to disarm Hezbollah and reassert full state sovereignty. Mr Aoun has repeatedly said the decision to centralise arms under state authority has been taken, but says this can only be achieved through dialogue rather than force.

Hezbollah, once a dominant force in Lebanon, has suffered significant setbacks following its year-long war with Israel, which has killed the group's leader and key commanders, destroyed its infrastructure and infiltrated its security apparatus.

"The Lebanese army is fully carrying out its duties in southern Lebanon in accordance with Resolution 1701, but the continued Israeli occupation hinders the complete deployment of the army," Mr Aoun told Sheikh Tamim, the presidency said.

Under the ceasefire terms, Hezbollah is required to withdraw its troops north of the Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south. The Lebanese military should be posted across southern border towns to assume control of the area. Israel was supposed to withdraw across the Blue Line but has missed two deadlines and continues to hold five positions in southern Lebanon that it considers “strategic”.

The war has left Lebanon in a precarious state, compounding a financial crisis that began in 2019. With reconstruction urgently needed, international donors have made clear that any assistance will be contingent on the implementation of comprehensive reforms to restore public trust in state institutions.

The election earlier this year of Mr Aoun as president, alongside the appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister, was widely seen as a turning point after years of political deadlock. Both are viewed as reformists and a break from the country’s traditional ruling elite, and their leadership has revived cautious optimism for long-overdue institutional and economic reform.