In a context of growing tensions in the Middle East, France is taking the initiative to organize an international conference dedicated to Lebanon. Scheduled for October 24, this ministerial meeting, requested by President Emmanuel Macron, aims to bring together key players around the critical situation in the Land of the Cedars.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that this conference will bring together a wide range of participants, including Lebanon’s partner states, the United Nations, the European Union, as well as various international, regional and civil society organizations. The main objective is twofold: on the one hand, responding to the urgent protection and relief needs of the Lebanese population, and on the other hand, exploring ways to support the country’s institutions, with particular emphasis on the Armed Forces Lebanese, considered as guarantors of internal stability.
This initiative comes in an extremely tense regional context. After the tragic events of October 7, 2023 involving Hamas and Israel, the conflict extended to Lebanon, where Israel is now carrying out operations against Hezbollah. This escalation has led to the displacement of more than a million people in Lebanon and around 60,000 residents of northern Israel. France, through this conference, intends to reiterate the urgency of a ceasefire and the need for a diplomatic solution based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The objective is to enable the safe return of displaced people, both to Israel and Lebanon. Furthermore, Paris underlines the crucial importance of the election of a president in Lebanon, considered as the first step towards the restoration of the normal functioning of the country’s political institutions. Official Lebanese figures show a human toll of 2,000 people since the end of September, more than half of them since the start of Israeli strikes in October. These operations targeted not only the south and east of the country, but also the southern suburbs of Beirut, a known stronghold of Hezbollah.
