French envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian (L) meets with Lebanese Army Commander Rodolph Haykal on Dec. 9, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — French President Emmanuel Macron’s special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, reviewed ways to support the Lebanese Army during a meeting with the Army Commander Rodolph Haykal on Tuesday, the second day of his visit to Lebanon. He also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.
According to local media outlets, Le Drian first met Berri in Ain al-Tineh in the presence of the French ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro. Following the meeting, the latter told local television channel Al Jadeed that the visit was "very good."
According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), the meeting, which lasted for over an hour, addressed developments in the general situation in Lebanon and the region, as well as political and field-related updates in light of Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon, in addition to the bilateral relations between Lebanon and France.
After that, the French envoy headed to Yarze, where he met with Haykal, according to the NNA. They reviewed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, as well as ways to support the army amid the current challenges.
On Monday afternoon, the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) wrote on X that its former leader Walid Jumblatt and current leader Taymour Jumblatt welcomed Le Drian in Clemenceau in the presence of PSP MPs Marwan Hamadeh and Wael Abou Faour. According to the PSP's newspaper, al-Anbaa, the participants stressed the need to "support the positive Lebanese steps," including the president’s initiative to assign former Ambassador Simon Karam to the cease-fire mechanism committee supervising and the various measures undertaken by the Lebanese Army.
The Lebanese government decided in early August to regain the monopoly on arms and tasked the army with drafting a plan for its implementation, approved a month later. Since then, troops have been working to dismantle Hezbollah's arsenal in the border regions.
The newspaper added that the meeting "reaffirmed commitment to the negotiation points previously discussed between Walid Jumblatt and Berri," foremost among them the consolidation of the cease-fire, the return of the southerners to their homes, and the release of Lebanese prisoners in Israeli prisons. In addition, participants also emphasized the "importance of the French role in reinforcing the positive trajectory of Lebanese–Syrian relations."
Le Drian was subsequently welcomed by the leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, in Meerab.
On Monday, President Joseph Aoun held a meeting with Le Drian, after which the presidency said that Le Drian welcomed Aoun's decision to appoint former Ambassador Simon Karam as head of the negotiating delegation within the cease-fire mechanism committee.
This step, taken by Aoun after consulting with Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, aimed to de-escalate the tensions with Israel.
During his last visit in September, Le Drian met with Lebanese leaders and reiterated Macron's 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 Army and another dedicated to Lebanon's reconstruction.
Le Drian's visit comes in the context of continued Israeli attacks against Lebanon despite the cease-fire agreement reached in November 2024, following more than 13 months of war between Hezbollah and Israel, and amid fears of a new war between the two sides.
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