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Lebanon Security Talks in Paris Focus on Post-UNIFIL Alternatives
Confirmed
In Short: French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders from Lebanon and Jordan met in Paris to discuss the future of the Lebanese Armed Forces and potential alternatives to the United Nations peacekeeping mission UNIFIL, amid fears of renewed Israeli military activity.
French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders from Lebanon and Jordan met in Paris on Thursday to discuss the future of the Lebanese Armed Forces and potential alternatives to the United Nations peacekeeping mission UNIFIL, which is set to end this year after nearly five decades of operations.
The talks, which also included chiefs of defense staff from France, Britain, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, aimed to strengthen Lebanon's sovereignty and ensure its security, according to Macron. The French presidency stated that the Lebanese army's deployment plan would be reviewed based on a 'clear, credible and realistic' framework.
The poorly equipped Lebanese forces have struggled to disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, a key condition for Israel's withdrawal from the region. The talks also come as fears of a renewed Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon grow, following a series of attacks and air strikes that killed at least 13 people, including six children, in a town in southern Lebanon last week.
Macron welcomed the Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and King Abdullah II of Jordan to Paris, emphasizing the importance of a 'robust' international support for the Lebanese forces, whether in the form of financial assistance, equipment, or training. The discussions also focused on the creation of a new force to succeed UNIFIL, as its mandate ends this year.
What's confirmed
- French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders from Lebanon and Jordan met in Paris on Thursday to discuss the future of the Lebanese Armed Forces and potential alternatives to the United Nations peacekeeping mission UNIFIL, which is set to end this year after nearly five decades of operations.
- The talks, which also included chiefs of defense staff from France, Britain, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, aimed to strengthen Lebanon's sovereignty and ensure its security, according to Macron. The French presidency stated that the Lebanese army's deployment plan would be reviewed based on a 'clear, credible and realistic' framework.
- The poorly equipped Lebanese forces have struggled to disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, a key condition for Israel's withdrawal from the region. The talks also come as fears of a renewed Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon grow, following a series of attacks and air strikes that killed at least 13 people, including six children, in a town in southern Lebanon last week.
- Macron welcomed the Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and King Abdullah II of Jordan to Paris, emphasizing the importance of a 'robust' international support for the Lebanese forces, whether in the form of financial assistance, equipment, or training. The discussions also focused on the creation of a new force to succeed UNIFIL, as its mandate ends this year.
What's still developing
- Macron said that the talks aimed to "strengthen Lebanon's sovereignty and enable it to fully ensure its security", after years during which political factions, such as the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, wielded greater authority than the Lebanese state.
- "A sovereign and stable Lebanon is a decisive step toward peace and stability for the entire region," Macron wrote in a statement on X.
- The United States will be represented by a senior military official involved in Middle East security issues, the Reuters news agency reported.
- Paris said it wanted the “operational context, parameters and modalities” of the deployment to be clarified at Thursday’s discussions, as a prerequisite for what it hopes will be “robust” international support for the Lebanese forces.
- Fears of a renewed Israeli military campaign are growing in Lebanon after escalating attacks, despite a “ceasefire” that was intended to halt Israeli aggression and allow the thousands of displaced people in Lebanon to return home.