Lebanese army chief, US and Saudi officials meet in France amid efforts to disarm Hezbollah

The commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), General Rodolphe Haykal, met with U.S., Saudi and other Lebanese officials in France on Thursday to update leaders on progress in disarming Hezbollah and to set a date for an international meeting in support of Lebanese forces.

The meeting, hosted in Paris, comes amid a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

The IDF carried out strikes on Thursday, destroying Hezbollah launch sites and a training camp for operatives, citing violations of the ceasefire agreement that went into effect in November 2024.

The Paris meeting included French Chief of Defense Staff General Fabien Mandon, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa, French President Emmanuel Macron’s personal envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

“There was a consensus to thoroughly document these advances,” French Foreign Ministry Spokesman Pascal Confavreux said.

Mandon said France’s support for the LAF aims “to contribute to maintaining stability and lasting peace, in respect of Lebanon’s sovereignty.”

“The special envoys expressed their support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and their sacrifices,” a joint statement said.

According to Confavreux, France “hopes to equip the ceasefire monitoring mechanism with concrete resources on the ground to verify the progress of the Lebanese Armed Forces and the disarmament of Hezbollah.”

The French official declined to name all participants in the meeting, citing concerns from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun about possible tensions with the Shiite community in the south.

“The situation is extremely precarious, full of contradictions, and it won’t take much to light the powder keg,” said one senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

When asked by The National whether France believed the Dec. 31 deadline for disarming Hezbollah was likely to hold, Confavreux said, “If there is a need to postpone it, partners will discuss it, and therefore I do not want to pre-empt their discussion, which will take place in the coming days.”

The international meeting is scheduled to take place sometime in February, though the location has not yet been determined. Saudi Arabia is considered to be a leading option.