Lebanese Army deployed next to damaged homes in Zawtar Gharbieh, southern Lebanon, Oct. 1, 2026. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday that France will be organizing a conference to support the Lebanese Army after the Israeli elections, as negotiations purportedly aimed at reaching a lasting "cease-fire" between Lebanon and Israel remain stalled. "A conference will be set up in the coming weeks by France... I think it is useless to do it before the Israeli elections," he said at a press briefing from Qatar.
The Lebanese armed forces, underpaid and badly equipped, have been lagging in their mission to disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Israel has made its withdrawal from Lebanese territory contingent on the disarmament of the party and is currently occupying more than 600 km² in the South, where it has razed dozens of villages.
Why it matters
The comments come a day after Israel leveled baseless accusations at the Lebanese Army, claiming the institution had "failed" in its mission to disarm Hezbollah and that it has been colluding with the party. These accusations were rejected by the Lebanese Army, which denounced "disinformation campaigns" aimed at "undermining" its "credibility," while negotiations are underway.
A Lebanese delegation is currently in Tampa, Florida, for direct discussions with Israeli representatives, under U.S. mediation. The first day of talks took place Tuesday, focusing in particular on Lebanon's demands for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and an end to attacks, with the session set to continue today.
Tensions continue to rise between Lebanon and Israel, as Israelis prepare to take to the polls on Oct. 27 to elect a new prime minister. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a candidate in the upcoming election and is being accused by various rival candidates of pushing for renewed attacks on Iran or its allies in the region before the elections in order to gain support and momentum that could translate into an electoral victory.
The Saudi-led coalition, facing continued attacks from Yemen's Houthis, said it had intercepted five drones launched toward the kingdom, including one in the Medina region, Islam’s holy city. In recent weeks, Houthi strikes have reached unprecedented levels, particularly at Riyadh International Airport, which was closed after an Oct. 10 attack that left 13 dead and hundreds wounded — the deadliest toll in more than a decade on Saudi soil.
The Houthis, who are also fighting the internationally recognized Yemeni government, claimed to have targeted a military camp in the Yemeni city of Aden, situated near the airport and, according to them, managed by Saudi Arabia. “Our armed forces struck the operations room linked to the Saudi enemy in the Badr camp in Aden, using a ballistic missile,” wrote the spokesperson of the pro-Iranian movement Yahya Saree on X.
- The Israeli army had prepared a bombing campaign against Iran, which was to begin the weekend of Oct. 10, but ultimately canceled it because U.S. President Donald Trump opposed a resumption of conflict before the U.S. midterm elections set for Nov. 3, the Financial Times reported Wednesday. The planned Israeli strikes were to target civilian infrastructure, such as power plants, as well as nuclear facilities and regime-linked sites.
- According to sources cited by the British daily, the planned bombings would have been more intense than the joint U.S.-Israeli offensive launched against Iran last February, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushes for the resumption of large-scale strikes on Iran. Although it is not clear whether the United States would have participated directly in the operation, one of the cited sources said it was “not out of the question” that both countries could resume strikes in the weeks ahead. Israeli officials reportedly put forward an updated target list in Iran, drawn up based on new intelligence, including civilian infrastructure not previously targeted this year.
- On Tuesday night, Israeli forces are reported to have fired stun grenades at members of the Lebanese Army in the still-inhabited Christian village of Deir Mimas (Marjayoun). The Lebanese soldiers, positioned at a new post on the outskirts of the village, were fired upon from a close distance in an attempt to force them to leave. Additionally, after threats against a building in Braasheet (Bint Jbeil), which could not be "confirmed," the municipality called on evacuated residents to return but urged them to "remain vigilant."
- Emmanuel Macron announced he would hold a meeting on Thursday morning with the intelligence services, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, and “the relevant ministers” in order to receive a “detailed briefing” on the day of protest on Oct. 17, when nationwide protests were met with heavy police repression and descended in areas into riots, property damage, and looting.
- Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s envoy, said he brought Russian President Vladimir Putin “ideas” for a “peace agreement” in Ukraine at the start of their meeting in St. Petersburg. Steve Witkoff, who met the day before in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said he came to Russia hoping to discuss the resumption of trilateral talks.
