French President Emmanuel Macron walks alongside his diplomatic adviser Anne-Claire Legendre at the headquarters of the Egyptian Red Crescent in the city of Arish, northeast Egypt, on April 8, 2025. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — French President Emmanuel Macron's North Africa and Middle East advisor, Anne-Claire Legendre met with several Lebanese officials on Friday, including Ammar Moussawi, Hezbollah's head of international relations. These meetings came after Thursday's schedule, which brought Legendre together with President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
According to al-Manar, a channel affiliated with Hezbollah, the meeting between Legendre and Moussawi focused on Israel's violations of and failure to comply with the cease-fire agreement, which ostensibly came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, but since which Israel has killed more than 340 people in Lebanon amid near-daily attacks.
This visit comes a few days after a major delegation sent by the U.S. Treasury visited Beirut, as the Trump administration’s diplomatic push in Lebanon intensifies and the cease-fire agreement — for which France, alongside the United States, is a guarantor — appears more fragile than ever.
Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea, after his meeting with Legendre in Meerab, said that "France wants a serious state... so that Lebanese officials will be serious with them."
In mid-October, Macron said he was "determined" to organize a conference by the end of 2025 to support the Lebanese Army, as well as another devoted to Lebanon’s reconstruction.
Yesterday, Aoun told the French president’s advisor that the “moral support” shown by Lebanon’s partners was “not enough” for him to carry out his duties and that the army "needs resources and military equipment, which should be provided by the support conference for the army and the Lebanese Armed Forces."
In Yarzeh, Lebanese Army Commander-in-Chief General Rodolph Haykal also received Legendre, in the presence of French Ambassador Hervé Magro and General Valentin Seiler, France’s representative the committee overseeing the implementation of the truce between Lebanon and Israel.
During the meeting, the participants reviewed the general situation in Lebanon, the latest developments in the region, and ongoing efforts to implement the cessation of hostilities agreement amid ongoing Israeli violations and attacks.
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