The special envoy of the Elysée for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, at Ain al-Tineh, on Sept. 11, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L’Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — As part of President Emmanuel Macron’s push to bolster regional stability and support state sovereignty, France is working intensively to prevent further escalation in Lebanon and Gaza, well-informed French sources told Paris-based journalist Elie Masboungi on Thursday.
These actions follow the recent trip to Beirut by Anne-Claire Legendre, adviser to the president on the Middle East and North Africa, as well as contacts carried out by presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Le Drian began a visit to Beirut on Monday, his third since the election of President Joseph Aoun in January 2025. In mid-November, Anne-Claire Legendre had also met with Lebanese political leaders as part of her diplomatic tour.
According to informed sources, France fears a new Israeli escalation and, for Paris, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to put an end to hostilities. "Strong American attention" to certain issues, particularly Syria, paradoxically provides Israel with greater leeway in Lebanon.
Paris also wants to demonstrate that the Lebanese army is acting in accordance with the Hezbollah disarmament plan, dubbed the “Shield of the Nation.”
However, confidential army reports prevent international partners from verifying the actual effectiveness of operations on the ground.
Since early August, Lebanese authorities have pledged to retake the monopoly on weapons and dismantle militia arsenals. Under its plan, the army intends to dismantle Hezbollah's arsenal south of the Litani by the end of 2025, before moving on to the rest of the country. Although Hezbollah has not opposed the army's operations in the border zone so far, it refuses to surrender its weapons entirely.
Circles close to the Élysée and the Quai d'Orsay stress the importance of having reliable information to convince international partners — especially Saudi Arabia — to support the Lebanese Army.
Donors, including Saudi Arabia, have pledged substantial aid to strengthen France's efforts. Paris's objective is to avoid a security vacuum that could lead to major destabilization in 2026.
However, France notes that "Hezbollah is still far from giving up its arms" and that it will be necessary to strengthen the "mechanism" put in place to allay concerns.
Last week, former ambassador Simon Karam was appointed to head the Lebanese representation in this mechanism tasked with overseeing the cease-fire with Israel, which for its part appointed a civil figure as its representative — whereas this mechanism had previously only included military officials.
The Lebanese Parliament, deemed too vague on the issue, is also slowing down the process, these sources highlight.
Concerning President Joseph Aoun, the same sources add that he remains fully invested in the country's reconstruction and seeks to reassure international partners, who are also concerned about the Parliament's shortcomings.
French circles emphasize that the reconstruction of South Lebanon is a colossal endeavor, the progress of which remains dependent on the return of stability on the ground.
