The Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has welcomed a French-Italian initiative to replace a UN mission in south Lebanon amid fears of a renewed Israeli offensive.
Mr Aoun was hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris for a high-profile meeting of Arab and European military officials aimed at building a framework for a multinational mission to replace Unifil before its withdrawal later this year. They were joined on Thursday by King Abdullah II of Jordan.
"The President of the Republic commended the initiative launched by the French President with the Italian Prime Minister for the post-Unifil mandate phase," the Lebanese presidency said.
The meeting in Paris took place under the Aqaba framework, an initiative launched in 2015 by King Abdullah to enhance regional military and security co-operation.
Mr Macron held separate talks with Mr Aoun and King Abdullah, before the three leaders convened to kick off the military gathering focused on Lebanon at the Invalides military complex in Paris. Army chiefs from Lebanon, Jordan, the UK and France were expected to join.
High on the agenda during the talks between Mr Macron and Mr Aoun was the Israeli occupation of parts of south Lebanon as US-brokered diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon falter. A ceasefire brokered in June appears under threat as Israel hardens its position ahead of elections in October.
"Presidents Aoun and Macron discussed the efforts undertaken to put an end to Israeli aggression in light of the Lebanese-American-Israeli negotiations and the framework agreement," the Lebanese presidency said, in reference to the June ceasefire.
Paris and Amman separately signed a defence agreement, King Abdullah said, without giving further details. "We look forward to continuing our work to achieve stability in Lebanon and the region," he wrote on X.
Avoiding a vacuum
Italy and France are playing a leading role in laying the groundwork to replace Unifil, which is scheduled to leave south Lebanon after five decades of deployment later this year due to US and Israeli pressure.
Based in south Lebanon, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, Unifil functions as an observation mission and records security breaches. It has come under fire from both sides and lost several personnel during hostilities. Israel has accused it of failing to disarm Hezbollah, though Unifil's mandate was limited to supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces in doing so.
Lebanese authorities and its relatively weak military have historically baulked at disarming the militia against its will because of the strength of its military capabilities and its entrenchment in the Lebanese sectarian political system.
For now, an estimated 10 EU nations are ready to contribute to a new military and civilian mission to advise and train the Lebanese Armed Forces. Discussions with Israeli and US representatives are expected to take place at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.
Speaking to AFP on Tuesday, Mr Aoun said Lebanon is open to any force that might replace Unifil to avoid a "vacuum". He added that Lebanon is seeking a security agreement with Israel to end the state of hostilities between the two countries that has existed since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
