UK supports displaced families of Lebanese Armed Forces

UK Chargé D’Affaires Victoria Dunne and Deputy Defense Attaché Thomas Hobbs met Thursday senior officers of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), to deliver UK relief assistance to displaced LAF families, at the LAF logistics hub in Beirut.

The UK Ministry of Defense is providing essential and practical relief items, worth over $150,000, delivered and coordinated in partnership with the LAF. This includes personal hygiene kits, bedding, washing machines and cleaning essentials and will meet the needs of hundreds of families affected by the conflict. This is in addition to $27 million in humanitarian crisis response to Lebanon announced last week, bringing total UK support since March to $40 million.

"The devastating conflict in Lebanon has caused a humanitarian crisis with dire consequences for civilians," the British Embassy in Beirut said. "More than 1 million people have been forced from their towns and villages and are now facing long term displacement. Homes and critical infrastructure have been destroyed. LAF families are amongst those who are directly affected, undermining their sense of security and dignity."

The embassy said the 16 April ceasefire offers desperately needed hope to civilians caught up in the conflict. "The UK will continue to support diplomatic channels to work towards a long-lasting peace. For more than a decade the UK has given critical support to the LAF as a trusted partner, through training, mentoring and the provision of equipment. Since 2009, the UK has trained thousands of LAF personnel and dedicated over $150 million in funding," the statement added.

"The UK will continue to support Lebanon’s stability and recovery and work to further our long-standing partnership with the LAF."

Chargé D’Affaires Victoria Dunne said that the delivery of relief items is a direct response to the humanitarian crisis which has also impacted the Lebanese Armed Forces families. "The UK will continue to back the Lebanese Armed Forces as well as the Government of Lebanon-led humanitarian response, which are essential to security and stability."

Deputy Defense Attaché Thomas Hobbs said for his part that "displaced families of the Lebanese Armed Forces are among those directly affected by the conflict. This support reflects the UK’s commitment to assisting those impacted by the conflict while continuing to support the Lebanese Armed Forces as the sole legitimate defenders of Lebanon."