France’s Macron to visit Lebanon after new president elected

French leader’s office says he plans to mark his country’s ‘unwavering commitment’ to Lebanon, work on continued implementation of Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal

France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) shakes hands with Lebanon's former prime minister Najib Mikati, before their meeting at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, October 23, 2024. (Ludovic Marin / AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) shakes hands with Lebanon's former prime minister Najib Mikati, before their meeting at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, October 23, 2024. (Ludovic Marin / AFP)

BEIRUT, Lebanon – French leader Emmanuel Macron is due to visit Lebanon on Friday, both countries said, in the second such trip by a head of state since Lebanon elected a president last week.

The office of new Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he met the French ambassador to Beirut on Tuesday to discuss preparations for Macron’s visit.

Macron’s office confirmed the date.

The trip comes after Lebanese lawmakers on Thursday elected Aoun president, after more than two years of the position being vacant, under international pressure including from former colonial power France.

On Monday, Aoun named international judge and diplomat Nawaf Salam as prime minister, giving him the tricky task of forming a cabinet to pull the country out of a crippling, five-year-long economic crisis.

Macron’s office said the French president planned to mark “the unwavering commitment of France to support Lebanon, its sovereignty and unity.”

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, center, meets with Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam, right, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, left, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, January 14, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency Press Office via AP)

His trip follows a ceasefire in November between Israel and the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, which was announced by Macron and US President Joe Biden.

Under that deal, there is a 60-day period during which the Lebanese army is expected to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, as the Israeli army withdraws.

At the same time, Hezbollah is required to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure it has in the country’s south.

A committee composed of Israeli, Lebanese, French, and US delegates, alongside a representative from the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL, has been tasked with monitoring the implementation of the deal.

“The trip will also be the occasion to work on the implementation of the ceasefire… and to reiterate France’s commitment towards this within UNIFIL,” his office said.

Macron said on Monday that Salam’s appointment represented “hope for change” in Lebanon.

Spanish UNIFIL peacekeepers read a map during a patrol in the southern Lebanese village of Al Mari, near the border with Israel, on January 7, 2025, during a fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah. (Anwar Amro / AFP)

Macron’s office said he hoped Salam’s government could be both “strong” and “represent all the diversity of the Lebanese people.”

A Paris conference on funding for Lebanon in October raised around $800 million for humanitarian aid in the Mediterranean country.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides visited Lebanon on Friday.

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