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France’s Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu kicked off a two-day visit to Lebanon Thursday by inspecting the 700-member-strong French contingent operating with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
By making South Lebanon the first stop of his visit, Lecornu wanted to emphasize the importance of maintaining and preserving the peacekeeping force despite cross-border clashes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah that gained alarming intensity Thursday afternoon, on the eve of an apprehensive address by Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, the first since the war on Gaza started on October 7.
“Lebanon doesn’t need a war, to say the least, not to mention that this war could have major escalating effects on the whole region,” said Lecornu during his visit to the base of the French contingent in the southern village of Deir Kifa.
Lecornu felt that, in the face of current tensions, it was in nobody’s interest for UNIFIL’s mandate to be “interrupted,” believing it to be “the solution.”
“If there is ever a time when we need observation and deterrence to avoid escalation, it is now,” he said, adding that he regretted hearing “here and there that UNIFIL should stop its patrols,” without specifying which country he was referring to.
Lecornu’s visit to the South was meant to convey a message to other countries contributing troops to UNIFIL at a time when Lebanon is weakened by the raging conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Some countries have reportedly expressed concern about the safety and security of their troops stationed in south Lebanon. It is feared that a serious escalation of cross-border confrontations may prompt some to withdraw their forces.
It is commonly agreed that UNIFIL’s presence is in the interest of all parties, including Lebanon, Israel and Hezbollah.
On his X account, Lecornu said the purpose of his trip is to “reaffirm” France’s commitment to Lebanon’s stability.
Since the start of the war triggered by Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel, there have been an increasing number of armed clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. According to AFP, 66 people were killed in southern Lebanon, including 48 Hezbollah fighters and seven civilians.
Nearly 29,000 people have been displaced as a result of the exchange of fire, according to the International Organization for Migration. Also, shells hit the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura on two occasions, without causing any casualties.
Aside from a few exceptions, the two belligerents have, so far, largely maintained a ceiling for their confrontations, suggesting that none of them wants to engage in an open confrontation beyond the usual undeclared rules of engagement. But many fear that things might take a turn for the worse in the absence of any sign of a de-escalation of violence in Gaza.
In his meetings with Lebanese officials, including caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim and caretaker Prime Minster Najib Mikati, Lecornu is expected to reiterate France’s call to prevent Lebanon from being dragged into the quagmire of the Gaza conflict.
Lecornu is also supposed to renew France’s military and financial assistance to the Lebanese Army under the command of General Joseph Aoun. The Army Commander, who has had a long, trustworthy and reliable relationship with Paris, is set to retire at the end of his mandate on January 10 amid fears of a vacancy at the head of the military.
France is among the few countries that are still concerned by Lebanon’s security and stability, while a majority have lost interest in a Hezbollah-dominated state led by a ruling class plagued with corrupt and bickering politicians.
In Beirut, Lecornu will also pay tribute to the victims of the Drakkar bombing in which 58 French soldiers were killed in October 1983.
