Germany pledged another €96 million ($104 million) to support Lebanon at an aid conference convened by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin will provide 36 million euros in humanitarian aid, along with 60 million euros in development funds.
The amount of 60 million euros was announced late on Wednesday by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a telephone conversation with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
The aid comes as the country faces a humanitarian crisis sparked by the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. The conflict escalated in September when Israel launched attacks on Beirut and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.
Including the additional aid, German aid related to the crisis in Lebanon is expected to amount to around 300 million euros this year, government sources said.
The funds, which will be provided through UN agencies and the German Red Cross, are aimed at helping internally displaced citizens and supporting the country’s social, economic and institutional stability.
About 10 additional tons of aid are expected to arrive in Lebanon in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Baerbock also referred to the ongoing war in Gaza, which began in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.
The foreign minister said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) should be allowed to continue its work, which has come under heavy criticism from Israel.
“If there is a lack of state capacity, these gaps will be filled by others on the ground, including terrorists,” Baerbock said.
As evidence, she pointed to Hezbollah’s activities in Lebanon, where the group “provides essential health and social services as part of its strategy, in addition to its terrorist activities.”
