Paris Maps Out Military Support

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The preparatory meeting in Paris for the international conference to support the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces, which was held at the Hôtel des Invalides on September 17, was not just another stop in a series of international meetings dedicated to Lebanon. The timing, participants, and the issues on the table made it a genuine attempt to transition from a policy of ad-hoc assistance to building the Lebanese state's capacity to fully assume its security responsibilities, in one of the most sensitive phases in years.

The meeting, held within the framework of the "Aqaba Process," was opened by President Joseph Aoun, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Jordanian King Abdullah II, with representatives from the United States, Canada, Arab countries, the European Union, and international institutions participating, while Army Commander General Rudolf Haikal and Director General of Internal Security Forces Major General Raed Abdullah were present. The practical goal was clear: to identify the needs of the two institutions, coordinate the supporting parties, and prepare for an international conference that is supposed to translate political commitment into actual capabilities on the ground.

President Aoun presented the Lebanese equation to the attendees in direct terms: "Lebanon and the Lebanese have chosen the state." For him, this choice is not limited to a political stance, but means that military and security institutions alone are responsible for protecting sovereignty and stability, and that the decision of war and peace and the carrying of arms is the prerogative of the state. Therefore, he called for the Paris meeting to produce a clear roadmap and a specific timeline for the upcoming international conference, rejecting the idea of support remaining a series of scattered aids or temporary solutions, and demanding a long-term partnership that allows the army and security forces to plan and build capacities.

Most importantly, Aoun linked external support to a corresponding Lebanese responsibility. He emphasized the necessity of transparency and accountability in the use of aid, and Lebanon's readiness to adopt a mechanism that defines priorities, follows up on the implementation of commitments, and measures their results, acknowledging that the Lebanese state is required, with the restoration of its financial capacity, to bear an increasing share of financing its military and security institutions. In this way, the Lebanese proposal sought to shift the relationship with donor countries from a logic of relief to a concept of institutional partnership.

The importance of the path increases as the current operations of "UNIFIL" approach their end on December 31, 2026, before its personnel are reduced and it withdraws in an organized manner during 2027, according to Security Council Resolution 2790. This shift places broader responsibilities on the army in the south and makes avoiding any security vacuum a priority for both Lebanon and the international community.

From here, Macron's focus on the necessity of establishing the authority of the Lebanese state came, as well as providing the resources that allow the army to take on the primary role in the south. According to what the Lebanese presidency reported from his remarks, he announced that he would communicate with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Israel's respect for the existing understandings, while King Abdullah II emphasized the need to empower the army quickly, pointing to its needs in the areas of equipment, spare parts, countering drones, aerial surveillance, and securing borders.

As for Aoun, he linked the success of the path to the implementation of the agreements related to the south by all parties. He confirmed that the continuation of Israeli assaults and the Israeli presence in Lebanese territories, according to the Lebanese position, hinders the completion of stabilizing security, calling on international partners to treat Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity as a fixed principle.

So far, no final date has been announced for the international conference, and the French Foreign Ministry confirms that it will be held when the appropriate conditions are met, while the Jordanian king pointed to another follow-up meeting before the end of the year to assess what has been achieved. Therefore, the real test for Paris will not be in the statements, but in the ability to turn the map of needs into sustainable commitments: training, equipping, border and airspace monitoring, countering drones, logistical and technical support, and improving the capacity of institutions to deploy and sustain themselves.

In this sense, the Paris meeting goes beyond supporting a specific military institution. It is a test of Lebanon and its partners' ability to make the restoration of state authority a viable project rather than a political slogan. Aoun summarized the urgency of the moment by saying: "This is a moment of decision, not a moment of waiting." If the preparations turn into a successful conference and the commitments into actual capabilities, Paris will have laid one of the foundational stones in Lebanon's transition from crisis management to building a state capable of protecting its own security and sovereignty.

According to "The Call of the Nation"