The chief of French diplomacy Stephane Sejourne, upon his arrival at the Grand Sérail in Beirut, on Feb. 6, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne issued a stark warning to Lebanon, cautioning that Israel might initiate a war with its neighbor to the north, which seeks to avoid further escalation. The warning came during the last stop in Sejourne's Middle East tour, which included visits to Israel, the occupied West Bank, Egypt, and Jordan, aimed at fostering a cease-fire in Gaza, and was cited by Agence France Presse.
According to Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, the French minister highlighted the possibility of Israel triggering a war to repatriate the tens of thousands of residents evacuated from areas near the Lebanon border.
"We have communicated that we do not wish for a war," Bou Habib emphasized, following discussions with his French counterpart. He further expressed Lebanon's interest in achieving a border agreement through the United Nations, with French and American involvement, with "full implementation" of UN Resolution 1701.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701 put an end to the war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. It mandates the exclusive deployment of the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, a clause yet to be fully respected due to Hezbollah's continued presence south of the Litani River.
Since the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel's subsequent and relentless offensive against Gaza, Hezbollah has been bombing Israeli army positions along the Lebanon-Israel border on a daily basis, in support of its allies in Gaza. Israel continues to respond by bombing southern Lebanon, demanding that Hezbollah move away from the common border.
In almost four months of fighting, 213 people, mostly Hezbollah fighters, have been killed in southern Lebanon, according to L'Orient Today's count. On the Israeli side, the army claims 15 casualties, although these numbers have not been independently verified. Tens of thousands of inhabitants on both sides of the border were forced to abandon their homes.
Preserving Lebanon's stability
Earlier on Tuesday, Stephane Sejourne met with outgoing Prime Minister, Najib Mikati. He said his visit was part of "international attempts to put an end to the war in Gaza and preserve stability in Lebanon," according to a Grand Serail press release. Sejourne also stressed the need to elect a President of the Republic and calm the front in south Lebanon, the statement reads.
The head of French diplomacy also held talks with the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berry, in Ain al-Tineh and with the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General Joseph Aoun, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA). During his meeting with the latter, Sejourne spoke of "the importance of the army's role in preserving Lebanon's security and stability in the current circumstances."
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told his French counterpart that "time is running out to find a diplomatic solution" in southern Lebanon.
"Israel will act militarily to bring the evacuated citizens back to their homes in the north of the country if no other solution is possible," he said.
Several Western countries have sent diplomats to the region or are otherwise engaged in trying to find a diplomatic solution to conflict in the region, both in Gaza and in the various other areas where violence was triggered by the ongoing war.