French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday welcomed a United Nations decision to keep its peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon until 2027.
"This is an important message and we welcomed it," Macron said on social media after speaking with Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun and prime minister Nawaf Salam.
"I welcomed the courageous decisions taken by the Lebanese executive to re-establish the monopoly of force. I encourage the Lebanese government to adopt the plan that will be presented to the cabinet to this end."
The UN Security Council voted on Thursday to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) by 16 months.
Unifil was created in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. Its ‘blue helmets’ are tasked with enforcing Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the war between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in 2006.
"The complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and an end to all violations of Lebanese sovereignty are essential conditions for the implementation of this plan," Macron said.
"France has always indicated that it is prepared to play a role in the transfer of points still occupied by Israel.
"Lebanon's security and sovereignty must be in the sole hands of the Lebanese authorities."
Macron said his special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, will travel there to prepare for two international conferences. One will focus on supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces, the other on reconstruction.
"Restored security, asserted sovereignty, built prosperity: this is the future we want for Lebanon, in the image of the eternal strength of its cedars," Macron said.
'Expensive failure'
Washington has pushed for the mission to be scaled back, echoing Israeli complaints that UNIFIL has failed to weaken Hezbollah’s hold on southern Lebanon. Senior US officials describe it as an expensive failure.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently backed a plan to wind down the mission within six months, as part of a broader retreat from UN commitments and funding.
But France – supported by Italy and Britain – led a diplomatic effort to stop an abrupt withdrawal. European diplomats warned it would create a dangerous security vacuum.
Paris has pointed to the example of Mali, where the UN pulled out before local forces were ready, leaving space for armed groups to expand.
"If you leave too soon, others will rush to fill the space – and not the kind of actors anyone wants," one French diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
