French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that his country would support Lebanon with 100 million euros ($105 million) aid at a donor conference in Paris, emphasising that the Lebanese people could not face the threats on their country alone.
Macron emphasised the importance of strengthening Lebanon’s sovereignty, as the country endures a horrific assault from Israeli forces, noting that the worst outcomes were “not inevitable”.
He also stressed the need to help the Lebanese regain control of their future by supporting the people, providing humanitarian aid, and backing the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in reinforcing its mission, which controls a buffer zone in the south which has been under heavy Israeli bombardment.
This includes French support for the Lebanese army, with three soldiers killed on Thursday, and ensuring its deployment in the south once a ceasefire with Israel is reached.
“This is a new chapter we are writing together, and I have no doubt that we will respond collectively to the urgent needs,” Macron said.
He urged for the war on Lebanon to stop “as quickly as possible”, saying it was regrettable that Israel had continued its military operations in southern Lebanon, on Beirut and across other areas of the country.
Hezbollah must “stop its provocations… and indiscriminate strikes” against Israel, Macron said, adding that Israel “knows from experience that its military successes do not necessarily represent victory in Lebanon”.
He emphasised that the joint call he and US President Joe Biden made for a 21-day ceasefire has yet to be heeded, stressing the need for Hezbollah to halt its rocket strikes on Israel and calling for an end to “all provocations”, including the attack on the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As well as its financial contribution, Macron said Paris would “contribute to equipping the Lebanese army” to re-establish control of the country’s south, in line with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which sealed the end of the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.
He said France would “support this deployment through UNIFIL and contribute to equipping the army”, through healthcare, fuel and small equipment as well as assist in a plan to recruit at least 6,000 soldiers.
“We recognise the difficulty of the task in a stage where crises are escalating in Lebanon due to Israeli military operations on its land, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, and the difficulty for institutions in facing these emergencies,” he added, stressing France’s full support for a sovereign Lebanon.
France has set a target of raising half a billion euros ($540 million) in aid for Lebanon, 100 million more than an initial UN appeal.
Paris is also seeking an increase in humanitarian aid for a country to which it has historic ties and which has a large diaspora in France.
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The New Arab Staff & Agencies