Disarmament of armed groups, Israeli withdrawal: Paris and Riyadh call for a ‘final solution’ in Lebanon

France and Saudi Arabia reiterated Monday their desire to reach a “final solution” in Lebanon, calling in a joint statement issued following the meeting at the Élysée Palace between Emmanuel Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the “completion of the disarmament of all armed groups” and the “complete withdrawal of Israel from all Lebanese territory.” Paris and Riyadh also emphasized the full implementation of Resolution 1701 and the strengthening of the Lebanese state and army.

According to a joint Franco-Saudi communiqué, relayed by the official National News Agency (NNA), “it was agreed to intensify efforts to achieve a final solution to the conflict in Lebanon, which requires strengthening the Lebanese state and its institutions, as well as preserving Lebanon’s sovereignty and the integrity of its territory.” The statement stressed the importance of “the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701” as well as “the need to complete the disarmament of all armed groups and to obtain the complete withdrawal of Israel from all Lebanese territory.”

Adopted on Aug. 11, 2006, to end a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 demands a complete halt to fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and the simultaneous deployment of the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the south of the country. It also calls for the absence of any armed force other than that of the Lebanese state and UNIFIL in the area between the Blue Line (de facto border) and the Litani River.

The two leaders also reaffirmed their “commitment to supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces and the security forces to enable them to fully assume their national responsibilities.” The statement welcomed, in this vein, “the measures taken by President Joseph Aoun and the government led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to rebuild state institutions and extend state authority over the entire territory.”

Israel has killed more than 4,300 people in Lebanon since it re-escalated its war on Lebanon on March 2. At the end of June, a few days after a nominal "cease-fire" took effect, Lebanon and Israel reached a U.S.-brokered framework agreement calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the region.

Hezbollah opposes these negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, the eighth round of which is scheduled to take place in Rome in early September. Since June, Israel has nonetheless continued its strikes on Lebanon, violating the "cease-fire" in place as it typically does.

Désarmement des groupes armés, retrait israélien : Paris et Riyad appellent à une « solution définitive » au Liban