Lebanon · updated 2h ago · 3 min read
Macron Hosts Aoun and King Abdullah II for Paris Preparatory Meeting Supporting Lebanese Army
Aoun and King Abdullah II participate in opening Paris preparatory conference for the Lebanese Army. France hosts the event and pushes for international support; Washington's role is limited.
15 outlets, one story, no spin found.
1 of 2 outlets skipped it: US representation via General Joseph Clearfield (MCG4L).
15outlets compared
Paris meeting set Sept. 17
A preparatory meeting for an international conference to support the Lebanese army and internal security forces is scheduled to be held in Paris next Thursday, September 17, with French President Emmanuel Macron hosting Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Jordanian King Abdullah II.
“will be held in the French capital, Paris, next Thursday, September 17”
L'Orient-Le Jour reported that a high-ranking French source said the Paris gathering would not be the conference that decides on providing support, equipment, and distribution, but rather a discussion of security and military situations and Lebanon’s needs to be presented during the conference.
The same report said the United States will attend the meeting at a military level, in addition to a U.S. State Department official, and that Saudi attendance will be at a military level.
In parallel, Al-Sharq lil-akhbar said Aoun left Beirut for Paris on Wednesday at Macron’s invitation and is due to participate on Thursday, along with Macron and King Abdullah II, in the opening of the preparatory meeting at the Élysée Palace.
Al-Yawm as-Sābiʿ added that the Paris conference to support the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces will be convened by Macron with the participation of General Joseph Aoun and Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, and that the United States is also participating with a delegation.
Hezbollah weapons and UNIFIL
Western diplomatic and military sources told Arab News that the Paris meeting, scheduled for September 17, 2026, will take place amid discussion tying the army’s role to the Hezbollah weapons file and the future expansion north of the Litani River.
Al-Null reported that Saudi Arabia has clearly informed France that the assistance requested will not be available before Hizbullah is disarmed, and said Macron would hold bilateral meetings with the Jordanian king and the Lebanese president followed by a trilateral summit at the Élysée Palace.
The same Al-Null account said Paris and Rome are coordinating to reach a formula for forming a joint force if the Lebanese request it to fill the vacuum left by UNIFIL, while also stating that American meetings in New York showed the American administration rejects the continued presence of UNIFIL in Lebanon.
Al-Yawm as-Sābiʿ said Lebanon is still looking for alternatives to UNIFIL, scheduled to depart next December, and quoted Aoun stressing the need to avoid creating a vacuum after its withdrawal.
In Al-Sharq lil-akhbar, Lebanese Army sources said ongoing Israeli attacks and their intensification, in parallel with demolition and shelling operations in southern Lebanon, threaten the understandings and arrangements in place.
What the conference is for
Multiple reports framed the Paris meeting as preparatory rather than a direct decision on aid, with Al-Null saying it would be a discussion of security and military situations and Lebanon’s needs presented during the conference.
“formulate a "realistic action plan"”
Al-Yawm as-Sābiʿ said the Paris meeting aims to formulate a "realistic action plan" enabling the Lebanese armed forces to expand their presence in the south and to cover urgent logistical and outfitting needs, while the European Union presents mechanisms to support training and advisory for military and civilian institutions.
Al-Sharq lil-akhbar said the conference is not expected to announce immediate aid, describing it as part of the “ Aqaba Process,” and said the primary aim is to align the Lebanese Army’s needs with its capacity to carry out tasks entrusted by the Lebanese government in its August 5 decision to monopolize arms by the state.
Al-Null reported that Macron would host the preparatory meeting with about 15 countries participating, and that the French source had not yet confirmed whether Prince Mohammed bin Salman would attend.
Finally, Today said representatives from 17 countries are set to meet in Paris for a preparatory conference to support the military force tasked since last year with disarming Hezbollah, and that the conference will bring together Joseph Aoun, Emmanuel Macron, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.