Lebanon launched a diplomatic push, showcasing close ties with France ahead of talks with Israel. The move is seen as an attempt to highlight its presence by putting forward traditional ally France amid concerns it could be sidelined in talks led by the United States and Israel.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam of Lebanon visited Paris on the 21st and held a summit with President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders clasped hands and walked up the Élysée Palace steps, underscoring solidarity. The visit came two days before talks scheduled in Washington between Lebanon and Israel. After the meeting, Prime Minister Salam said Lebanon would demand the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and the return of Lebanese prisoners and displaced people. In response, President Macron said Israel must abandon its territorial ambitions toward Lebanon.
Lebanon is currently cornered diplomatically and militarily. Israel, under U.S. pressure, recently agreed to a cease-fire, but excluded France from a mediating role in the talks. The Israeli side openly signaled displeasure, saying it did not want France involved in the negotiations. The Lebanese government has been unable to push back strongly. France has long volunteered to mediate to end conflicts in Lebanon and is currently deploying troops as part of the U.N. peacekeeping force. A French soldier was recently killed in an ambush. Even so, Lebanon is in no position to defy a negotiation framework centered on the United States and Israel.
Against this backdrop, the Lebanese prime minister's trip to Paris is interpreted as sending a message to the international community that "we are not alone." It is seen as a diplomatic move to emphasize that Lebanon is not isolated rather than a bid to secure real negotiating leverage. The French daily Le Monde analyzed the visit as a political action to declare externally that Lebanon is not isolated before Israel and will not easily concede its sovereignty. Ziad Majed, a professor at the American University of Beirut, also said Lebanon is now fully exposed to the logic of force imposed by the United States and Israel, and assessed it as an attempt to restore a minimum balance in the negotiating setup through France, a traditional ally.
The meeting also carries weight for President Macron. He criticized Israel's Gaza operation last fall as "barbaric," straining ties with Prime Minister Netanyahu. As Israel seeks to exclude France from the negotiating table, Macron is seen as trying to reclaim diplomatic influence under the banner of protecting Lebanese sovereignty.
In the end, Lebanon's close alignment with France is viewed less as a practical negotiating card and more as a diplomatic message to break isolation. The United States and Israel still hold the lead in the talks, but Lebanon is mobilizing whatever diplomatic asset it can within limited options.
Early last month, Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on Lebanon, citing Hezbollah's intervention in the Middle East conflict on Iran's side. Under international pressure, the two sides agreed on the 14th to a temporary cease-fire, their first in 33 years since 1993, prompted by a high-level meeting. The two countries are set to continue negotiations on the 23rd in Washington, D.C., mediated by the United States.