Lebanese President Joseph Aoun calls for sustained international support for the Lebanese army at the Paris conference

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that what the international community is asking of Lebanon requires “the assistance of the Lebanese state,” stressing: “We will bear our responsibility, but our partners, the Arab and European countries and the United States, must bear the responsibility with us, by supporting the army and strengthening the Lebanese state.”

He stressed: “We do not want temporary support, but rather we want a long and comprehensive time plan,” considering that “the principle of restoring the state and restoring the decision of peace and war is based on strengthening the state apparatus, especially the security services and the Lebanese army.”

Aoun's words to Agence France-Presse came before his participation, on Thursday, along with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and Jordanian King Abdullah II, in a conference aimed at mobilizing international support for the Lebanese army in Paris.

Aoun pointed out that Lebanon is seeking a security agreement with Israel with the aim of ending the state of “hostility” between the two countries, stressing that his country has no other choice but direct negotiations to prevent any new war. Aoun said: “We are seeking a security agreement primarily to end the state of hostility and the deployment of the army on the border. It could be a prelude to a subsequent peace agreement, but we cannot jump directly to a peace agreement, but rather step by step.”

He stressed that “the basic step is the Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of the (Lebanese) army on the border, and the return of the families and prisoners.” Aoun stressed that the state went “to the option of negotiation because it is the least expensive option,” while turning away from negotiations is war, and its cost will be great for us.”

Regarding the Hezbollah weapons file, Aoun said: “The goal is not a clash, the goal is... to extend the authority of the state and limit weapons responsibly.” The goal (...) is not for there to be a bloody conflict inside Lebanon and internal strife. The goal is to build a state without going to civil war or internal conflict.”

While Beirut is betting that the Paris meeting will constitute a preliminary step for sustainable international support, Lebanese official sources do not hide their “fear that everything that comes out of the meeting will remain merely a dose of moral support for the army.” According to military sources, the most prominent thing the military institution is demanding is “sustainable aid, most notably equipment and equipment that are compatible with the tasks required of it and its actual needs.”

Rapporteur of the National Defense Committee, MP Asaad Dergham, said, “In light of the state’s inability to secure the army’s needs, the international community, especially America and the European and Arab countries, has the responsibility to translate their support for Lebanon into practical steps, noting that its needs are estimated at about two billion dollars annually.”

Retired Brigadier General Hassan Jouni refutes the most prominent needs of the Lebanese Army, the most important of which is strengthening the army’s elements, in light of the depletion of its units and the expansion of its missions across all Lebanese territory, filling any vacuum resulting from an Israeli withdrawal, in addition to strengthening its deployment on the border with Syria and controlling it, in addition to its missions at home.

Researcher Muhammad Shams al-Din has another approach to the file, as he believes that the basic question remains: What is the army’s mission first? He pointed out that “if its mission is to confront Israel, Syria, or Hezbollah, then each option has its own calculations and political discussion.” The Lebanese sectarian and political structure makes the army unable to carry out any action without a clear political decision, which has been proven by several previous experiences.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed on Wednesday that the army is ready to “eliminate Hamas” in order to “accomplish the mission” in Gaza, and then implement an “immigration plan” in the Strip, which is inhabited by two million Palestinians. Katz pointed out that the army’s movements in Gaza are taking place within the framework of the “ceasefire” agreement and “the commitment of the United States and partner countries to disarm Hamas.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed on Wednesday that Lebanon is open to any force replacing the United Nations Interim Force operating in southern Lebanon, stressing the need to avoid any “vacuum” after the withdrawal of UNIFIL. Aoun said: “The most important thing is that a vacuum does not occur, and any force that comes under any name must have a legal framework, and the basic principle of the legal framework is the sovereignty of the state.”