Gaza Genocide17 September, 20263 min read
Macron Meets Joseph Aoun and King Abdullah II in Paris to Back Lebanese Army After UNIFIL
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Macron, Aoun, and Abdullah II seek international backing for deploying the Lebanese Army nationwide. Discussions address post-UNIFIL arrangements as the peacekeeping mission nears end.
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Paris backs Lebanon army
French President Emmanuel Macron met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Paris to drum up international support for the cash-strapped Lebanese army, which Macron described as “indispensable” for bringing stability to the country. Macron said the talks aimed to “strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty and enable it to fully ensure its security,” and he added that, “in close coordination” with the US and Saudi Arabia, “we support the Lebanese Armed Forces, which are indispensable for asserting the authority of the Lebanese state throughout its territory.” The meeting also discussed creating a new force to succeed a longstanding UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, where Israel is locked in fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.
The French presidency said the aim was to review a Lebanese armed forces deployment plan based on a “clear, credible and realistic” framework, as a prerequisite for “robust” international support in the form of financial assistance, equipment or training. The sources tie the diplomatic push to the end of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate on December 31, 2026, after almost half a century of operations dating back to the Israeli invasion in March 1978, known as Operation Litani.
Post-UNIFIL alternatives
Al Jazeera said European and Arab military chiefs were meeting in Paris to assess the Lebanese Armed Forces’ needs and discuss the looming end of UNIFIL, amid fears of a renewed Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon. Al Jazeera reported that the most immediate concern of the Paris talks would be the security vacuum that could be left when the almost 50-year mission of UNIFIL, which has about 7,500 personnel, leaves in January. It also said the officials would discuss options for a new international mission backed by France and Italy operating outside a UN mandate, as well as a possible European Union-led mission, with both concepts reportedly focusing on training, equipment, intelligence sharing, and mentoring support for the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Al Jazeera quoted Paris as saying it wanted the “operational context, parameters and modalities” of the deployment clarified at Thursday’s discussions as a prerequisite for what it hopes will be “robust” international support for the Lebanese forces. The same Al Jazeera account linked the security planning to the regional war, noting that disarming Hezbollah remains a key condition for Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and that Aoun reiterated his determination to disarm the group “without confrontation”.
Gaza discussed alongside Lebanon
ASHARQ AL-AWSAT said the Paris summit opened with Macron meeting Aoun at the Elysee Palace before the two joined Jordan’s King Abdullah II for a trilateral summit at Les Invalides, followed by a technical-military meeting attended by commanders and senior officers from 17 countries and organizations. ASHARQ AL-AWSAT reported that the three leaders discussed the “dangerous regional situation” and stressed the need to intensify international efforts toward comprehensive and sustainable de-escalation, while also discussing developments in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. It said Aoun urged support for the armed forces as an investment in regional security and stability and called for a common regional security strategy based on joint energy projects and economic, security and political cooperation.
In parallel, the same account described Aoun’s position on weapons, saying the Lebanese president insisted that the state’s monopoly on weapons was “first and foremost a Lebanese choice and a Lebanese interest.” The sources also frame the diplomatic track as tied to the post-UNIFIL transition, with Aoun calling for concrete results from the preparatory meeting including a roadmap and clear timetable for an international conference to support the army and Internal Security Forces, and pledging “full transparency and accountability.”