France claims key role in Israel-Lebanon ceasefire despite absence from negotiations

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says that France played a key role in securing the current 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon and in initiating talks between Israel and Lebanon, despite Paris’s absence from today’s round of negotiations in Washington, reportedly set for 4 p.m. local time.

“Without France’s intervention, there would likely not be a ceasefire in Lebanon today, and likely no discussions between Israelis and Lebanese,” Barrot says in an interview with French broadcaster franceinfo.

Barrot also asserts that the US-Iran ceasefire “covers Lebanon,” despite American and Israeli claims to the contrary, and argues that it is “illusory” to believe Hezbollah can be disarmed through force alone, calling instead for high-level dialogue with the Lebanese government.

Addressing France’s absence from the talks, Barrot says Paris had been instrumental in bringing the sides to the table, pointing to diplomatic efforts led by Frence President Emmanuel Macron — whom he said alerted US President Donald Trump to the scale of Israel’s April 8 strikes on Hezbollah — as well as his own recent visits to Beirut and Jerusalem.

His remarks come after Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said earlier this month that Israel does not want France involved in the negotiations, adding that it would prefer to keep Paris “as far away as possible” from the process.