Germany pledges another €20 million in aid for Lebanon

Germany has promised another €20 million ($23 million) in humanitarian aid to Lebanon, after Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan had to cancel a planned visit to the country over security concerns amid ongoing Israeli attacks.

“I pledged the €20 million aid package yesterday,” Alabali Radovan told Germany's Deutschlandfunk broadcaster, noting the long-standing partnership with Lebanon in development cooperation.

She said that the money was intended to address the current situation in the country, after having pledged €70 million to Lebanon when fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah escalated again in the wake of the Iran war.

The additional funds are to benefit the education sector and local development, the ministry confirmed to dpa. 

Germany plans to provide €10 million for Lebanon's education sector through UNICEF, while another €10 million will go to the United Nations Development Programme, according to Alabali Radovan.

The minister had been en route to Beirut on Monday when the German Defence Ministry decided to call off the visit shortly before landing due to the worsening security situation on the ground, according to the Development Ministry.

During the two-day visit, Alabali Radovan had been looking to get a sense of the impact of the war between Hezbollah and Israel, alongside Norwegian Minister of Development Åsmund Grøver Aukrust.