At the end of the afternoon, they met with the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army, Joseph Aoun, who was faced with a major challenge, that of leading the deployment of his soldiers in the south of the country following the ceasefire. fire. General Aoun is also cited as a possible candidate for the post of President of the Republic, vacant for more than two years. The French ministers notably discussed with him the “ways to strengthen cooperative relations between the armies of the two countries and continued support to the army in light of current circumstances”according to the Lebanese army’s X account.
On Tuesday, they are due to meet the French soldiers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on the occasion of the New Year, in Deir Kifa, in the south of the country. “Our armies are, and will remain, committed to the stability of Lebanon and the region”wrote, on X, Sébastien Lecornu, specifying that he will also speak with “General Ponchin, representing France within the ceasefire monitoring mechanism”.
This monitoring committee, which brings together Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and UNIFIL, is responsible for monitoring the application of the ceasefire and all potential violations. On Thursday, UNIFIL said “concerned” par “the continuation of destruction” carried out by the Israeli army in southern Lebanon, despite the truce. Under this agreement, the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers must deploy in southern Lebanon and the Israeli army must withdraw within sixty days.
But more than a month after its entry into force, the Israeli army has only withdrawn from one sector, Khiam, where the Lebanese army was deployed. UNIFIL called “quick withdrawal” of the Israeli army, believing that “any action endangering the fragile ceasefire must stop”. The same day, the Lebanese army accused Israel of “violation of the ceasefire agreement by attacking the sovereignty of Lebanon and destroying towns and villages in the south” of the country.