This is Beirut

French Defense Minister in Armenia Amid Tensions With Azerbaijan

This Is Beirut, 2024-02-22 11:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Armenia Armenian Army Azerbaijan France French Defense Ministry Military Cooperation Sébastien Lecornu

French Minister of Defense Sébastien Lecornu is traveling to Yerevan on February 22 and 23 to strengthen the defense relationship between the two countries. France and Armenia have been forging closer ties on security issues since October 2023. French Minister of Defense Sebastien Lecornu is traveling to Armenia on Thursday for a two-day visit ...

What to Expect From Séjourné's Visit to Lebanon

Maureen Décor, 2024-02-05 13:50 - Reading : less than a minute

diplomacy France lebanon

On Tuesday, February 6, the new head of French diplomacy, Stéphane Séjourné, will visit Lebanon to round off his first tour of the Middle East.

France Concludes Anti-Jihadist Operations in Sahel After Decade

This Is Beirut, 2023-12-22 14:13 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

army Burkina Faso CONFLICT France Mali Niger Sahel

The last French troops have withdrawn from Niger, concluding over a decade of anti-jihadist operations in the Sahel, amid strained relations and regional coups. The last French troops withdrew from Niger on Friday, marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in West Africa's Sahel region, as reported by AFP and ...

Emmanuel Macron in Jordan to Discuss Gaza's Situation

This Is Beirut, 2023-12-21 19:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron France Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived Thursday in Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II on aid to war-battered Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Hamas militants since early October. Macron is then due to visit French troops stationed in the Middle Eastern country for a traditional Christmas meeting with forces deployed overseas. The ...

Macron's Immigration Bill Fractures Presidential Majority

This Is Beirut, 2023-12-20 12:39 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron France immigration politics

The adoption of the highly sensitive immigration bill in France, supported by President Emmanuel Macron, has triggered a significant division within his own majority, with notable support from the far right. Following a complex 18-month process, the National Assembly passed the bill with 349 votes in favor and 186 against, highlighting a ...

US-French Agreement Plan: A Feasible Solution?

2023-12-20 09:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

France Gaza

Does the American-French "plan" to address the situation in southern Lebanon include the implementation of Resolution 1701 along with its overall components? And is it aimed at facilitating a regional settlement? According to a Western diplomat, the debate over a post-Gaza phase is already underway. This is especially relevant as the ...

French Far-Right Endorses Macron's Immigration Bill

This Is Beirut, 2023-12-19 19:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron France immigration Marine Le Pen Renaissance Party The National Rally

Marine Le Pen, the prominent figurehead of the far-right National Rally (RN), declared that the party will support a key bill from President Emmanuel Macron's government aimed at tightening immigration regulations. This move significantly enhances the likelihood of the bill's passage through parliament. The far-right National Rally (RN) will back ...

Colonna Calls for 'Immediate and Durable' Gaza Truce

This Is Beirut, 2023-12-17 14:51 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Bab el-Mandeb Catherine Colonna CONFLICT diplomacy France Hamas

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called for an “immediate and durable” truce in the Gaza war during her visit to Israel on Sunday, December 17, with her counterpart Eli Cohen, who acknowledged that France could play a positive role in preventing a war with Lebanon. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna pressed for an “immediate ...

Bank Credit Agricole Halts Financing for Fossil Fuel Projects

This Is Beirut, 2023-12-14 16:46 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Climate COP28 Credit agricole Dubai fossil fuels France greenhouse gas

The French bank Credit Agricole declared on Thursday its decision to halt financing new fossil fuel extraction projects, a day after delegates reached an agreement on the COP28 climate deal. Credit Agricole, one of France's biggest banks, announced Thursday it would no longer finance any new fossil fuel extraction projects, a day after delegates ...

Colonna Expected in Beirut on Saturday. What About President Macron?

This Is Beirut, 2023-12-14 14:54 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Catherine Colonna Emmanuel Macron France

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna is expected to arrive in Beirut on Saturday. According to a diplomatic source, she will visit the French contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in South Lebanon. According to the same source, she will also hold talks with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Speaker ...

Geagea: I No Longer Expect Anything from France

This Is Beirut, 2023-12-14 12:38 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

France

The leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Samir Geagea, has declared that he "no longer expects anything from France" and that he is "now a target for Hezbollah." In an interview with the French weekly “Valeurs actuelles,” Geagea denounced the French government's stance on Lebanon. According to him, "France only listens to the balance of power. ...

Israeli Incursion in South or Proper Implementation of 1701?

Samar Kadi, 2023-12-12 19:26 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

France Gaza Hamas

As the raging war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas continues unabated in its third month and the southern “solidarity front” initiated by Hezbollah escalates, the risk of a repetition of the 1978 Israeli incursion in south Lebanon to establish a buffer zone is growing. Western diplomatic sources insisted on the urgent need for “a proper and ...