Lebanon’s military retirees fight for pay restoration amid record pension payouts

Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

For years, retired military personnel have repeatedly called for improvements to their financial conditions. They say they have been wronged since the financial collapse in 2019, when the value of end-of-service benefits and retirement salaries declined.

Currently, there are 75,000 retirees from various military and security branches. The government has granted them a one-time allowance of LBP 12 million per month, costing a total of LBP 16 trillion over the last five months of 2025.

This increase was tied to securing revenue for the treasury. The levy on diesel, whose implementation was suspended by the State Shura Council, was intended to fund it, though the council has yet to issue a final opinion.

However, retired military personnel are demanding more than the allowance. They seek a 50 percent adjustment to their salaries compared with 2019 as a first phase, with a plan to return to their previous levels over three years through a graduated scale.

Retirees emphasize that their demands are not only on their own behalf but also on behalf of approximately 45,000 administrative retirees, who have received no allowances. The cabinet has endorsed equal treatment for them alongside military retirees.

The government and the finance ministry are following the International Monetary Fund’s principle of “no increase without coverage.” The ministry considers itself bound by budget figures and insists it will not approve any additional spending without corresponding revenue — a fundamental position regardless of the agency’s stance.

The finance ministry acknowledges that tax collection has improved and the treasury’s position is stronger, but it notes that it still carries several burdens, including its share of the financial gap and negotiations with Eurobond holders. As a result, it requires multiple funding sources to cover any increases.

Retirees’ demands are likely to prompt other calls for raises, whether for active employees or administrative retirees. The proliferation of such demands, given the current conditions, could plunge the country into a cycle of new salary obligations with associated negative consequences — the very issue that triggered the collapse six years ago.