France's $400m fundraiser for Lebanon to help strengthen military

A UN-managed trust for the Lebanese army will be under discussion at conference in Paris

Lebanese Army chief General Joseph Aoun, centre, with soldiers at Mohammad Zgheib Barracks in the southern coastal city of Sidon. AFP

France aims to raise at least $400 million for Lebanon at an international conference in Paris on Thursday, with some of the funds allocated to strengthen the Lebanese army in the south of the country in the hope that Hezbollah will withdraw its military presence after a ceasefire with Israel.

The aim is to provide a response to a UN appeal for $426 million in aid for Lebanon issued on October 1, shortly after Israel started bombing Hezbollah and civilian targets in the country in raids that have cost the life of more 2,500 people and forced more than one million to flee.

Intense Israeli air strikes, which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, came nearly one year after the group intensified its rocket launches against Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza.

By propping up the Lebanese Army, in addition to pressuring Lebanese politicians to urgently nominate a president after a two-year vacancy, France wants to avert risks of a civil war in Lebanon. “We are trying, in a very operational way, to avoid an inter-confessional war and a civil war in Lebanon,” said Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu this week.

French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will host the conference, which is expected to be attended by more than 70 ministerial-level representatives from countries including those in the Gulf, alongside international institutions like the United Nations. The Lebanese Red Cross and NGO Medecins du Monde are expected to send speakers.

Saudi Arabia, in particular, has expressed strong interest in the conference's success, according to a French official, quoting a recent meeting between Mr Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman at the first EU-GCC summit in Brussels.

“We understand that there is a strong interest today from Saudi Arabia in the situation in Lebanon and the need to resolve it,” an adviser to Mr Macron told reporters ahead of the Lebanon conference.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who met Mr Macron in Paris on Wednesday, will lead Lebanon's delegation. General Joseph Aoun, head of the Lebanese Army, is expected to address the gathering by video, as he remains in Lebanon because of the conflict. It remains unclear who will represent the army at the conference.

Lebanese diplomats have stressed the country's dire need for aid, particularly for hospitals and the displaced population. Countries such as France, the UAE, the US and the UK have begun sending food and medical supplies.

“We really hope for the humanitarian aid that Lebanon desperately needs and support to state institutions,” Ziad Taan, charge d'affaires at the Lebanese embassy in Paris, told The National, while underscoring the pressing need for a ceasefire. “It's what comes above all else.”

The conference is expected to renew calls for a ceasefire, although significant diplomatic progress remains elusive without the participation of Israel or Iran, Hezbollah's key ally. French diplomatic sources have said they have not been invited due to their “level of engagement” in the war in Lebanon. Lebanese law also bans its citizens from interacting with Israelis.

'Trust fund' for the army

There is growing momentum to fully implement UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. The resolution called for Hezbollah's withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the cessation to Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace – neither of which have been realised.

France remains committed to the “full implementation of Resolution 1701,” Mr Macron's adviser said, highlighting that this involves a withdrawal of all armed groups, including Hezbollah, from southern Lebanon.

One way of implementing UN Resolution 1701 is by strengthening the Lebanese Army's presence south of the River Litani, an area that is currently under heavy Israeli bombardment and ground incursions. “Different types of measures are being considered, both in terms of equipment and in terms of financial support. The Lebanese Army is facing a budget shortfall to recruit new soldiers on the ground,” the adviser said.

France has led the establishment of a “trust fund,” they added, for the Lebanese Army to receive donations through the UN force deployed in Lebanon (Unifil) to improve traceability.

“The work that has been done in co-ordination with other contributors for several months to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces,” they said. Three technical meetings in Paris, Rome and Beirut, have been held to discuss the implementation of the trust fund.

When asked about Israel's reported demands to expand UN Resolution 1701 to include access to Lebanese airspace among others, French officials declined to comment.

US envoy Amos Hochstein, who visited Lebanon this week, is believed to have conveyed Israel's requests during meetings with Lebanese officials. Mr Hochstein was in Paris on Wednesday, said Mr Macron's adviser, who did not give more details on his meetings.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be unable to attend the conference in Paris because of other commitments. The US will be represented by Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Richard Verma.

“We will have an US representation which will allow, we hope and this is our understanding, to also mark US mobilisation on … humanitarian issues and support for the Lebanese armed forces,” the adviser said.

France, which has long-standing ties with Lebanon dating to its colonial era, maintains a rare channel of communication with Hezbollah, which is listed as a terrorist group by many western nations. Mr Macron organised conferences for Lebanon after a devastating explosion at Beirut port in August 2020, then twice more in 2021.