From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 30, 2024
French FM, defense minister visit Lebanon a month after Israel-Hezbollah truce took effect
France’s top diplomat and defense chief have arrived in Lebanon, where a fragile truce since late November ended intense fighting between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu met today with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun, and tomorrow are due to visit UN peacekeepers near the Israeli border.
A Lebanese army statement on social media says that Aoun and the visiting ministers discussed “ways to strengthen cooperation relations between the armies of the two countries and to continue support for the army in light of current circumstances.”
Aoun, who is being touted as a possible candidate for Lebanon’s president, has been tasked with deploying troops in the south of the country since the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire came into effect on November 27.
Lecornu says on X that he is also due to meet with a French general representing Paris, “within the ceasefire monitoring mechanism.”
“Our armies are, and will remain, committed to the stability of Lebanon and the region,” he says.
The Times of Israel Community.