The unstoppable economic and political disaster in Lebanon has forced Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun to campaign in Paris for support for the Lebanese Army in order to avert impending military collapse.
According to Reuters, sources with knowledge of Gen. Aoun’s visits in Paris, which included French President Emmanuel Macron, said he told senior French officials that the situation in Lebanon was “untenable”.
Meeting with French Army Commander Gen. François Lecointre, Gen. Aoun expressed that the Lebanese Army was experiencing “a great crisis which is set to get worse,” Reuters reported.
In March, Gen. Aoun appealed to Lebanese politicians warning that the soldiers were suffering and going hungry with the rest of the country’s people. “Do you want an army or not? Do you want a strong, resilient institution or not?” he asked back then, to no effect.
Now, France pledged its support for the Lebanese Army in its missions, aid for its troops and their families, and expressed commitment to the stability and unity of Lebanon.
France also offered food and medical supplies for the army and will reportedly hold a conference in June to raise international support for the army.
Recently, France has been willing to unlock billions in international financial assistance for the crisis-stricken country once its politicians form a new government capable of implementing reforms that would rescue Lebanon.
However, as of yet, no new government has been formed and the stalling continues with the involved politicians in dispute.
