what role does France have to play after the ceasefire?

After more than a year of hostilities and fighting between the Israeli army and Lebanese Hezbollah, a ceasefire finally came into effect on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. The result of a long process and hard diplomatic work. France, which has played a major role, in particular thanks to the historic trust placed in it by the Lebanese authorities, does not intend to relax its commitment now, while there is still much to do.

The major challenge now is to enforce the agreement on the ground over time. To do this, France will help, in the short term, the Lebanese army to get back up to speed so that it can regain control of the south of the country. An army which, ultimately, must have around 6,000 men on the ground, but which for the moment needs to re-equip itself.

Restore a failed state

Vehicles, fuel, weapons and ammunition… The army lacks everything. While Paris had already paid 100 million euros in aid to Lebanon last October, France has committed to financing part of this effort, in parallel with the Americans. In addition, the 700 soldiers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will once again take on their major role of monitoring Hezbollah’s military movements in Israel.

In the medium term, the French objective is to put a failing Lebanese state back on its feet. While the country has no longer had a president since October 2022, it is consumed by sectarian rivalries. Jean-Yves Le Drian, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, is responsible for reweaving the sense of the general interest, in order to achieve a presidential election. For his part, Emmanuel Macron is going to Saudi Arabia next December, the opportunity for the president to convince Riyadh to participate in the financial efforts necessary for the success of the ceasefire.