Lebanon president defends army south of Litani, supports French involvement in mechanism

President Joseph Aoun told French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian that Lebanon welcomes any French involvement within the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, saying it contributes to achieving the main objectives of negotiations conducted under the committee’s framework.

Aoun rejected accusations that the Lebanese army has not fully carried out its duties south of the Litani River, noting that both UNIFIL leadership and the committee have confirmed the army’s performance—a point also observed by visiting U.N. Security Council ambassadors.

He added that Lebanon supports any audits conducted by the mechanism committee on procedures implemented south of the Litani in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji told Le Drian that the mechanism’s mandate is limited to halting aggression and that the Lebanese army is performing important work, albeit with limited resources, highlighting the need for international support.

Rajji also stressed that containing Hezbollah’s weapons is first and foremost a Lebanese demand, necessary to build a functioning state.

Among the proposals put forward by Le Drian to help ensure the success of a planned conference to support the army was the establishment of verification mechanisms to monitor army operations. This proposal is set to be discussed at a meeting in Paris next week.