French President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris on Tuesday, amid a fragile 10-day truce between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The visit highlights Macron’s commitment to seeing “full and complete respect for the ceasefire in Lebanon,” as well as France’s support for Lebanon’s “territorial integrity,” the president’s office said on Sunday.
Israel and Lebanon on Thursday agreed to a 10-day ceasefire to give time to negotiate an end to six weeks of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group.
The visit was announced a day after France blamed Hezbollah for an ambush on UN peacekeepers which left one French soldier dead and three others wounded.
Macron is to urge Lebanese authorities to “shed full light on the incident” and “identify and prosecute those responsible without delay,” his office added.
An initial assessment by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) found the attack was carried out by Hezbollah, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“UNIFIL soldiers, who are carrying out their missions in difficult conditions and supporting the delivery of humanitarian aid to southern Lebanon, must under no circumstances be targeted,” the Elysee said.
Hezbollah — which strongly opposes to the planned Lebanon-Israel talks — denied involvement in the attack that killed the French peacekeeper.
The fighting in Lebanon has seen UNIFIL positions repeatedly targeted by Israeli and Hezbollah forces.
