France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on April 21, 2026. (Credit: Ludovic Marin / AFP)
The French presidency said Tuesday that the "buffer zone" imposed by the Israeli army in southern Lebanon is "temporary," stopping short of calling for its immediate dismantling, while also stating that Lebanese "territorial integrity" must be respected "after negotiations" between the two countries.
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris on Tuesday afternoon, as the situation remains highly unstable in Lebanon, where a fragile cease-fire has taken effect. Further discussions are scheduled Thursday in Washington between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats.
France had said Sunday that the visit by the head of the Lebanese government would serve as an opportunity to reiterate its "support" for Lebanon's "territorial integrity" and for efforts to disarm the pro-Iranian Hezbollah group operating in the country's south.
But the Elysee appeared to downplay on Tuesday the "buffer zone" established by Israel in the area.
Israeli authorities say they have drawn a "yellow line" deep into southern Lebanon, where their troops are fighting Hezbollah, claiming to protect northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah attacks.
"We shouldn't pay too much attention today to the Israeli stances, which are above all defensive positions — in the sense of establishing a buffer zone that they believe necessary to ensure their security," a French official told reporters, saying that it is "meant to be temporary."
"Today, the issue is not to shift these lines or immediately revert to the boundaries established by previous mandates. The issue today is to stabilize the situation and prevent fighting from resuming," the official stressed.
According to the official, it is "after the negotiations" being prepared between the two countries that this zone "will need to be returned to the Lebanese," whose "territorial integrity will need to be respected," as part of a "lasting peace."
While some Israeli officials have clearly indicated they want France to stay out of the negotiations, the Elysee has defended its involvement in any future settlement.
"France is one of the countries that can play a very concrete and direct role in 'strengthening the hand' of the Lebanese government, and in supporting its action very concretely" in the "implementation" of the disarmament of Hezbollah, argued one of Emmanuel Macron's advisers. "Very few countries are able to mobilize in such a direct way," "France is one of them," and both the Israelis and Americans "are well aware of that," she added.
