PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron opened an international aid conference on Thursday by pledging €100 million in support for Lebanon, as the country grapples with the impact of escalating Israeli violence.
France aims to raise €500 million ($540 million) in humanitarian assistance, exceeding the UN’s initial appeal for Lebanon.
“The war must end as soon as possible, there must be a ceasefire in Lebanon,” Macron said at the Paris summit, seated alongside Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. He said that France would also equip the Lebanese army to help reassert control over southern Lebanon, as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brought an end to the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Mikati urged the international community to rally behind efforts to halt the fighting. The conflict, which reignited with Israel’s ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in September, has claimed over 1,550 lives and displaced 800,000 people, according to UN and official figures.
Macron asked Hezbollah to “stop its provocations” and warned that Israel’s military successes do not necessarily translate into victory in Lebanon. He added, “I’m not sure that you can defend a civilization by sowing barbarism yourself,” reflecting his concerns about the broader toll of the conflict.
The aid conference, hosted by France, seeks to address Lebanon’s immediate humanitarian needs while also supporting its long-term stability. The Lebanese economy, already weakened, is now under immense strain due to the conflict. UN officials have warned that Lebanon’s economy could shrink by more than 9 percent this year.
Germany followed France’s lead by pledging €96 million, while Britain contributed £15 million ($20 million). Despite these commitments, hopes for significant diplomatic progress were tempered by the absence of key players, including Israel, Iran, and a high-level US delegation. The United States was represented only by a deputy to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, addressing the summit remotely, urged the international community to bolster Lebanon’s state institutions, particularly its armed forces. Both Guterres and Macron highlighted the importance of implementing UN Resolution 1701, which calls for only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers to operate along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.
Humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam, have expressed frustration with the international response. Bachir Ayoub, Oxfam’s Lebanon chief, called for immediate action, stating, “Anything that does not bring about an immediate end to the destruction and killing would make this summit a failure.”
