Macron says Lebanese army 'indispensable' for stability

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday, as Paris hosted security talks to drum up international support for the cash-strapped Lebanese army that Lebanon's army is "indispensable" for bringing stability to the country.

Macron said that the talks aimed to "strengthen Lebanon's sovereignty and enable it to fully ensure its security", after years during which political factions, such as Hezbollah, wielded greater authority than the Lebanese state.

"A sovereign and stable Lebanon is a decisive step toward peace and stability for the entire region," Macron wrote in a statement on X.

Along with the Lebanese and Jordanian leaders and "in close coordination" with the U.S., Saudi Arabia and international partners, "we support the Lebanese Armed Forces, which are indispensable for asserting the authority of the Lebanese state across its entire territory," he added.

- 'Robust' support -

The French presidency said the aim of the Paris talks was to review a Lebanese armed forces deployment plan based on a "clear, credible and realistic" framework.

Paris said it wanted this as a prerequisite for what it hopes will be "robust" international support, whether in the form of financial assistance, equipment or training.

The poorly equipped Lebanese forces have struggled to carry out their mission of disarming Hezbollah in the south, which is a key condition for Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Aoun has repeatedly mentioned his determination to disarm Hezbollah, but "without a confrontation".

In a statement, the Lebanese presidency said Aoun felt "deep satisfaction" with the progress achieved in Paris.

He "expressed his hope that the needs of the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces... would receive the necessary response from brotherly and friendly nations and entities".

- 'Direct consequences' -

The talks also come as the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ends this year after almost half a century of operations dating back to the Israeli invasion of 1978.

Last year, the U.N. Security Council, under U.S. pressure, decided to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026.

France and Italy have said they want to set up a multinational coalition to succeed UNIFIL. The force has just under 7,500 peacekeepers from 46 countries.

Aoun told AFP this week that Lebanon wanted a new force, European or otherwise, to prevent a security vacuum after the U.N. peacekeepers leave south Lebanon.

Israel and the United States attacked Iran in February, sparking a war that has spread across the Middle East.

In June, Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-sponsored framework agreement that involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon's south and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region.