The Lebanese army scrapped meat from soldiers’ meals in June because of the increase in food prices caused by the country’s worst-ever economic crisis.
Lebanon depends on imports to feed itself, and the crash of the local currency in the past year and a half has triggered hyper-inflation.
The latest government figures show that the price of food increased by 417 per cent in the past year.
In parallel, soldiers’ monthly wages went from being worth on average $866 a month to just over $100.
Early in March, Gen Aoun said in a speech that soldiers were going hungry. “Where are we going? What do you intend to do? We have warned, more than once, about the seriousness of the situation and the possibility of a social explosion,” he said, addressing Lebanon’s politicians.