Le Drian expected in Beirut next week

BEIRUT — The French president's special envoy for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, is expected to arrive in Beirut early next week, according to information obtained by L'Orient Today.

During his most recent visit in September, he met with Lebanese leaders and reiterated French President Emmanuel Macron commitment to raise funding for Lebanon. In mid-October, Macron stated his "determination" to organize, by the end of 2025, two international conferences, one to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and another dedicated to the reconstruction of Lebanon.

In mid-November, Anne-Claire Legendre, presidential advisor for North Africa and the Middle East, conducted a round of meetings with political leaders in Beirut. At a time when the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah — of which France is a guarantor alongside the United States — is on shaky ground, her visit aimed to emphasize that France remains present and maintains a special place on the Lebanese scene.

Le Drian's visit comes in the context of escalating Israeli aggression against Lebanon, which Israel justifies by claiming to be targeting Hezbollah's attempts to rearm. The attacks are despite the existence of a cease-fire monitoring committee which was established as part of the November truce, with the role of mediating any accusations of truce violations.

On Tuesday, Beirut took a step forward to avoid another war: President Joseph Aoun, after reaching an agreement with the prime minister and speaker of parliament, announced the appointment of former ambassador Simon Karam as head of the delegation representing Lebanon in the meetings of the cease-fire monitoring committee (known as the "Mechanism"), which is therefore no longer purely military.

Karam's appointment to the committee marked the first ever direct discussions in more than 40 years between the two countries.