French President Emmanuel Macron, alongside Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, held a joint press conference in Paris ahead of upcoming negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
Macron reaffirmed France’s support for Lebanon’s territorial integrity, stressing that stabilizing the region requires “Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, the disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese people with the support of the international community, and the reconstruction of southern Lebanon to allow displaced populations to return.”
He further stated that Hezbollah had made a “strategic mistake” by entering the conflict linked to Iran and by, as he put it, substituting the state through the use of military force.
Macron also argued that Israel should abandon what he described as territorial ambitions and recognize that its long-term security depends on a strong and stable Lebanese state.
