Paris talks back Lebanon army push as UNIFIL exit looms

Lebanon's president met Emmanuel Macron and King Abdullah II in Paris to rally support for the army. The talks highlighted urgency over southern security, UNIFIL's future and Hezbollah's unresolved arms issue.Stock photo used for illustrationThe leaders of Lebanon, France and Jordan met in Paris on Thursday as part of efforts to build support for Lebanon's struggling military. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, French President Emmanuel Macron and Jordan's King Abdullah II discussed the situation in southern Lebanon and plans for an international presence there after the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL ends later this year.The meeting also came against the backdrop of a delayed donor conference for Lebanon's cash-strapped army. The conference, which was to be led by France, Saudi Arabia and the United States, had been scheduled for February but was postponed after the outbreak of the Iran war and the latest round of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. No new date was announced after Thursday's talks.Lebanon's army is now caught between the Israeli military, which occupies much of southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah, which has refused calls to give up its weapons. In June, the Lebanese and Israeli governments announced a framework agreement under which Israel would gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army would take control and Hezbollah would be disarmed. However, implementation of the deal has stalled.Hezbollah was badly weakened in the last war, which ended in November 2024. Lebanon later elected Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who committed to disarming Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in the country. At the same time, Lebanon has faced criticism from Israel and the United States for not taking direct military action against Hezbollah. Lebanese officials have been wary of a confrontation between the army and Hezbollah, fearing it could lead to civil war. The government has also said it needs a larger and better-equipped military to deploy across the country and reassure Hezbollah supporters who doubt the army's ability to protect them.Lebanon's military has long been underfunded and under-equipped, and has relied heavily on international donors, especially the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Italy. Saudi Arabia had set aside USD 3 billion in 2013 to support the Lebanese army with French weapons, but stopped the aid in 2016 as Hezbollah's political influence grew and ties between Lebanon's government and the kingdom worsened. The country's fiscal crisis, which began in late 2019, has added to the military's problems. Many soldiers have left the force or taken second jobs as state institutions weakened, salaries lost value, inflation rose and budgets shrank. Thursday's meeting in Paris underlined both the pressure on Lebanon's army and the wider push to strengthen it as the country deals with tensions in the south and the unresolved issue of Hezbollah's weapons.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 17, 2026 17:36 IST