French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived in Beirut on Thursday for meetings with Lebanon's top officials, as Israel carried out new strikes in the country's south.
Sources told The New Arab that Le Drian is expected to meet President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Army Commander General Rudolph Heikal to discuss the army's plan to bring all weapons under state control and preparations for an international support conference for Lebanon.
Even as the visit began, Israeli forces blew up a building belonging to a school for children with special needs in the border town of Aita al-Shaab and later targeted a motorbike with a drone strike on the Ain Baal-Ayta al-Shaab road.
A French diplomatic source told The New Arab that Le Drian's talks would focus on recent Lebanese government steps welcomed by Paris, including the army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah and reforms in politics, finance, and the judiciary.
Lebanese officials are expected to ask France to increase pressure on Israel to halt its violations of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect last November, withdraw from occupied areas of south Lebanon, and release Lebanese detainees.
Officials will also urge France to support the Lebanese army, which faces multiple challenges in implementing its plan to disarm Hezbollah and other armed groups, including weapons collection in south Lebanon and in Palestinian refugee camps, securing borders, and curbing smuggling.
They will call for France to help activate the ceasefire monitoring committee and contribute to reconstruction, both expected to be discussed in upcoming donor conferences in Paris.
France has repeatedly called on Israel to respect the ceasefire and withdraw from Lebanese territory, with President Emmanuel Macron describing these as conditions for the disarmament plan to move forward.
Le Drian’s trip comes amid escalating regional tensions, including Israel’s strike on Doha earlier this week and its widening attacks inside Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Lebanon’s priorities must be ending Israeli aggression, securing a withdrawal from the south, releasing prisoners, and starting reconstruction, stressing that no solution is possible without a national security strategy.