Disarming Hezbollah, committing to the country, talking about the Israel-Hamas truce… what will Emmanuel Macron do in Lebanon this Friday ?

This January 17, 2025, Emmanuel Macron will make an official visit to Lebanon, one week after the election of the commander-in-chief of the army, General Joseph Aoun, to the presidency. An opportunity to show his commitment to the country, but also to discuss the recent agreement signed by Hamas and Israel and regional tensions.

French President Emmanuel Macron will make an official visit to Lebanon on Friday, the Elysée Palace announced on Tuesday, a trip that comes after last week's election of army commander-in-chief General Joseph Aoun as Lebanese president.

“Unwavering commitment”

Emmanuel Macron thus wants to “mark France's unwavering commitment” to support Lebanon, which is experiencing a “historic moment,” the French presidency said in a statement.

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The election of Joseph Aoun, who enjoys the support of much of the international community, ended a vacancy of more than two years in the Lebanese presidency – since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022.

In its press release, the Elysée stressed that Emmanuel Macron's trip would also allow “to work towards the full implementation”of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon announced last November by the French president and his American counterpart Joe Biden, whose term in the White House will formally end next Monday.

Forming a government

Paris says it hopes for the formation “as soon as possible” of a Lebanese government capable of “bringing together” and “carrying out the reforms essential to the country's recovery (…) as well as the restoration of Lebanon's security and sovereignty over its territory”.

In parallel with the siege of the Gaza Strip decided in response to the attack by the Palestinian Hamas on October 7, 2023, Israel began a military campaign in Lebanon last September, saying it wanted to eradicate Hezbollah.

Disarming Hezbollah ?

During his first speech following the vote by Lebanese MPs last Thursday, Joseph Aoun alluded to the disarmament of Hezbollah, declaring that he wanted the Lebanese army, which is staying away from the clashes between the IDF and the Iran-aligned movement, to have a “monopoly of the carrying of arms”.

Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon, in what is an unprecedented conflict since their war in 2006.