Lebanese General Joseph Aoun seeks French support for Lebanese Army

PARIS — Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun went to France to meet with French officials and brief them on the crisis the Lebanese Army is going through.

The suffocating political and economic crisis that has ravaged Lebanon and its people has not spared the Lebanese army, which is on the brink of collapse according to Gen. Aoun.

According to Reuters, Gen. Aoun told French officials, including French Army Chief of Staff General François Le Cointre, that the situation had become fragile and unsustainable and that the Lebanese Army was going through a severe crisis which is worsening.

Reuter’s source said that during a Wednesday meeting between Gen. Aoun and French President Emmanuel Macron, the French were concerned about the situation because they see the Lebanese Army is the backbone of the country.

Macron’s office also confirmed that France would continue its support of the Lebanese Army.

France will provide food and medical supplies to Lebanese military personnel whose salaries have recently fallen sharply, prompting many of them to work additional jobs, Reuters reported.

France was working to arrange a conference next month to mobilize support from the international community for the Lebanese Army.

The Lebanese pound has seen the sharpest decline in value since the country’s civil war from 1975 to 1998.