In the midst of the economic crisis afflicting the country and all of its sectors, talks have recently surfaced about the flight of soldiers of the Lebanese Army from service. This is a result of the collapse in value of the national currency which pays their stagnant wages.
Thaer Abbas wrote in “Al-Sharq Al-Awsat” newspaper: “The Lebanese Army did not stop much at the calls demanding them to take the mantle and steer the country away from its current multi-faceted economic, political, and security crisis. This is despite recognizing the risk of the ongoing political clashes and their potential security and social repercussions.
The Army, according to a Lebanese military source, “is committed to its unifying national role, and would do better in sticking to its current role rather than paying attention to current political quarrels”. On the other hand, the source stressed the importance of the “political stability which acts as a support to the current security efforts done by the army and other security forces at such a pivotal time”. They consider that the formation of a new government would play a role in reducing the security burden and reverse course of heading towards collapse.
The source admits that: “The political clash is affecting the Army because it is ultimately a part of the people,” stressing that the army “is trying to contain the situation as much as possible, but that it cannot achieve a political solution by forming a government that relieves this pressure.” Regarding the fears and uncertainty regarding potential security turmoil, the source explains that the lifting of subsidies (by the Lebanese Central Bank) over essential commodities, might play a significant role in shaking up the landscape in terms of security. This is because the population will react in protest. Additionally, crime rates may also rise as we are witnessing new types of thefts never seen before. Examples such as the theft of car batteries, telephone booths, cemetery gates, and most recently cheese wheels.
The source warns that the ceiling for these developments will be too difficult to handle if a government is not formed, indicating that the security forces are reporting on the economic, social, and security situation to officials alarming them to the danger and severity of the situation. These warnings are being raised in recognition of the clear current trajectory of the situation which indicate that the country is “headed towards social collapse”.
The source strongly denies the rumors of alleged mass dissertations from the military service due to the collapse of the purchasing power of their wages. However, he does admit to the hardships incurred by the soldiers and points out that the leadership is trying as much as possible to help mitigate these challenges and mitigate their effects. He explains that a soldier needs to feel that his family is safe and secure when he leaves them to go to service. Additionally, the army is raising spirits and morale by raising soldier’s awareness of the importance and critical nature of the role they play in the stability of the country at its current stage.
The army has been attempting to reduce the economic burden on the soldiers by strengthening its housing programs and expanding cooperative programs that benefit the public as well. This has been through securing the biggest possible amount of foods and subsidized products. As for transportation, the army tried to assist soldiers in reducing costs through rescheduling dates of service to facilitate their commutes and provide additional transportation for the army. In addition, the army also distributed aid it received from abroad and medication services, that took the biggest hit in the 2020 budget, to its members.
The source adds that: “The army is operating at full capacity, and has a big task beforehand ranging between maintaining the borders, internal security, facing Israel and terrorism. In addition, there is a the great burden of distributing aid to the people as well as participating in measuring the damages caused by the Beirut Port explosion”. The source also considers that if the conditions become more strenuous, the situation will become more difficult for the army.
In regard to terrorist operations, the source says that the concern no longer resembles what it was in 2018. However, he indicates that there are continuous infiltration attempts into the Lebanese borders and ISIS has clearly not given up yet, as more terror cells are being uncovered. One cell uncovered in the town of Kaftoun (North Lebanon) included 20 members and another in Arsal (East Lebanon) included 18 members. The significance is not that they are small cells, but that ISIS is likely attempting to build a base that attempts to influence internal situation should things take a turn to the worse.
