Qatar donates $60 million to Lebanon’s army during crisis

BEIRUT (AP) — Qatar’s state news agency says the Gulf Arab sheikhdom has donated $60 million to the Lebanese army, which is hard hit by the country’s economic meltdown. Thursday’s announcement came shortly after Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrived in Beirut, where he is expected to meet senior Lebanese officials. Lebanon’s nearly three-year crisis is putting unprecedented pressure on the U.S.-backed army’s operational abilities, wiping out soldiers’ salaries and wrecking morale. Since the crisis’ erupted in October 2019, the Lebanese pound has lost more than 90% of its value, tens of thousands have become jobless and three quarters of the population now lives in poverty.