������Ƶ

DUBAI: French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France’s support for Lebanese sovereignty and security on Friday, following a deadly Israeli drone strike that killed two Lebanese soldiers in the southern town of Naqoura earlier on Thursday.

In a statement posted on X, Macron said he had spoken with Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to discuss the country’s security situation and the path forward.

The French president praised Lebanon’s efforts to reassert state authority on arms and announced new diplomatic initiatives to support stability and reconstruction.

“I commended the courageous decisions taken by the Lebanese executive to restore the state’s monopoly on the use of force,” Macron said, urging the Lebanese government to adopt a national plan expected to be presented to the Cabinet in the coming days.

He reiterated that any successful stabilization plan must include the “complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and an end to all violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

“France has consistently stated its readiness to play a role in the handover of the remaining positions still occupied by Israel,” he said.

The plan Macron referred to is understood to involve efforts to disarm non-state actors operating along the southern border, particularly Hezbollah, and strengthen the presence of the Lebanese Armed Forces in coordination with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.

UNIFIL’s mandate was renewed unanimously by the UN Security Council this week, a move Macron called an “important signal.”

France, a key contributor to the peacekeeping mission, has played a central role in mediating between Beirut and Tel Aviv.

The Lebanese Armed Forces also began receiving weapons handed over by Palestinian militant groups based in the country’s refugee camps, where an estimated 200,000 Palestinians live stateless.

Macron also announced that his personal envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, will return to Lebanon to assist in implementing the plan once it is approved.

The French president said he was committed to convening two high-level international conferences by the end of the year— one to support the Lebanese army and another focused on Lebanon’s broader recovery and reconstruction.

“Lebanon’s security and sovereignty must rest solely in the hands of the Lebanese authorities,” Macron said, calling for a vision of the country where “security is restored, sovereignty affirmed, and prosperity rebuilt.”

France has historically maintained close ties with Lebanon and has taken a leading role in recent years to address the country’s political paralysis, economic collapse, and worsening security environment.