Macron says France to hold confab to back Lebanese army after Israeli election

DOHA, Qatar — French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that his country would organize a conference to support the Lebanese army after Israeli elections this month, decrying what he called untenable pressure on Beirut.

Israeli troops currently occupy a swath of south Lebanon after invading in March in response to Hezbollah attacks. Jerusalem says they will remain there so long as Hezbollah remains a threat.

Israel has stationed troops in a self-declared “security zone” running around 10 kilometers (six miles) inside Lebanon along the border. Over the past several months, Israel has carried out large-scale demolitions in villages that its troops hold, saying it is destroying vast terror infrastructure built by Hezbollah to threaten Israeli communities.

Lebanese authorities have agreed to work to disarm the terror group, but have made little progress on the matter.

“We will coordinate to carry out this work in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and a conference will be set up in the coming weeks by France,” Macron told reporters during a visit to Qatar.

“I think it is useless to do it before the Israeli elections, but we will organize such a conference because it is unavoidable,” he said.

Israel is set to go to the polls next Tuesday.

An international conference in Paris in support of Lebanon’s army was planned for March but was delayed after Iran-backed Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war by attacking Israel in response to the US-Israeli war on Iran. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion.

In June, Lebanese and Israeli authorities signed a US-backed framework agreement that involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the area. Israel has rejected French involvement in the talks.

But progress has largely stalled, and the poorly equipped Lebanese army has struggled to carry out its mission of disarming Hezbollah in the south.

Hezbollah has rejected the agreements and the talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon, which officially remain in a state of war.

Last month, Macron hosted Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and King Abdullah II of Jordan to drum up international support for the cash-strapped army.

“I believe that everyone can see today the untenable situation Lebanon finds itself in, with very high tension south of the Litani [river] which is occupied by the Israeli army,” Macron said.

“Demands have been made, pressure has been applied on Lebanon, and sovereignty has been challenged — this I would say is the least best way to deal with the issue of Hezbollah,” Macron said.

“Our objective is the sovereignty, the stability of Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah. To reach this objective, there must be… a withdrawal of Israeli forces, accompanied by confidence-building mechanisms,” he added.

“France is ready to contribute to this, as well as Qatar.”

Last week, Aoun told visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot that he would welcome any effort to prevent a security vacuum in the south as a decades-long mandate of a UN peacekeeping force expires at the end of this year.