The French presidency on Thursday welcomed the announcement of a ten-day ceasefire in Lebanon, stressing the need to verify its implementation on the ground.
An advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron said, “This is excellent news, but it will need to be verified on the ground,” following earlier remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a ten-day truce.
Responding to statements by the Israeli ambassador to the United States, who said Paris had no role in negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, the advisor added that France seeks “to play a useful role,” noting that Paris “has consistently demonstrated on the ground, for decades, its ability to do so.”
He continued, “When the time comes to support the Lebanese authorities in restoring security and sovereignty over all Lebanese territory, I believe many will be pleased to rely on France, including the Israelis.”
Earlier, President Donald Trump had announced on Thursday a ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon after more than a month of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which stated its commitment to the truce.
Following direct talks in Washington—the first of their kind between the two countries since 1993—Israel’s ambassador in Washington, Yehiel Leiter, said on Tuesday: “We certainly do not want to see the French involved in these negotiations.”
The diplomat added: “We want to keep the French as far away as possible from almost everything, especially when it comes to peace negotiations.”
For its part, the French presidency emphasized that “there are currently no peace negotiations” between Lebanon and Israel.
The Élysée Palace also highlighted the need to “establish frameworks for all such negotiations, as was done previously through resolutions issued by the United Nations Security Council.”
It concluded: “Within this framework, we have an important role to play. Therefore, no party can dictate how we can be useful to Lebanon; that is solely a matter for the Lebanese authorities.”
