Lebanon continues to be targeted by Israel. Why would France get involved?

Photo Credits : Italian army / Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.5

In a recent exchange between journalist and the Israeli ambassador in Washington, the latter stated that Israel don’t want the French near the negotiations, after the French president Emmanuel Macron criticized the way Israel was leading its operation against Hezbollah in south Lebanon. This statement, along the general posture of Israel towards France, seems to recall the complex position of the French diplomacy in the region. Focused on the protection of the Lebanese sovereignty, the support to the state’s reforms and the prevention of a regional conflagration, the French involvement is marked by a will to position itself as a mediating power and calm Israel’s military operation while maintaining a clear stance on the need to disarm Hezbollah.

Historically, France has maintained distinctive ties with Lebanon, from longstanding affinities with religious communities to the French mandate, the creation of the Great Lebanon, and the country’s independence in 1941. While some continue to view France as a close and friendly power, others see it as tied to the mandate-era that remains difficult to dissociate from colonial dynamics. Nevertheless, the French involvement has evolved and is now supporting a diplomatic resolution of the conflict in the region.

What happened recently?

In the past week, two French soldiers serving in the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) were killed during an ambush attributed to Hezbollah forces, which reignited the French diplomatic discourse on the conflict, after strong tensions with Israel. These events follow directly the frenetic escalation of violence between Israel and Hezbollah since 2^nd March, as Iran supports its Lebanese ally in the fight against Israel. Beirut has stepped back from this situation and affirmed its will to disarm “by all means” the Hezbollah, though uncertainties remain on the capabilities of the regular forces to effectively pursue this goal.

Through its conventional forces, Israel also participated in the reigniting of the French involvement in the conflict. At the end of March, Israeli soldiers pointed their weapon to the UNIFIL chief of staff (French), while other French soldiers of the UNIFIL received warning shots again from Israeli soldiers. In 2024 already, peacekeepers were targeted by Tsahal in their base of Naqoura in South Lebanon, demonstrating the particularly tense position of the UNIFIL soldiers between Israel and Lebanon.

Why would France get involved?

First of all, the fact that French soldiers have been killed and others targeted while operating as peacekeepers in this conflict implies that Paris cannot remain neutral. As a major contributor to the UNIFIL, France is also unlikely to tolerate the killing and targeting of other UN peacekeepers to the same extent and therefore has a direct role to play in the region, through its involvement with the UN.

In addition, it seems logical for Paris to maintain a strong position in the region that would match its diplomatic ambitions in the Middle East, though Israel and the USA have grown more skeptical about the French involvement in the region. Already involved in Syria, as talks between Tel Aviv and Damascus were held in Paris in January, France appears to be repositioning itself in the Middle East in what could signal a return of its diplomatic influence in the region.

Acting as one of the main buffer zones between Israel and Lebanon, the future withdrawal of the UNIFIL mission, planned for December 2026, risks to reshape the security dynamics in southern Lebanon, at a moment marked by a reigniting of Israel’s war on Hezbollah, trespassing the Lebanese territory. In addition, the potential American veto on the UNIFIl mandate, as well as bankruptcy’s risks of the UN, could deeply impact peace in the region, and demonstrate that the fate of Beirut is partly being decided in the USA.

Conclusion:

The French involvement in Lebanon seems to be less a matter of sentiment than a strategic positioning in the region. Deeply involved in the UNIFIL, France seeks to preserve its diplomatic ties with both Israel and Lebanon, though it now has to face a strong Israeli distrust, an American skepticism, the weakness of the Lebanese state and the possible end of the UNIFIL mission. It seems still possible for France to influence the terms of the debate and position itself as a defender of peace and international rights. Nonetheless, it appears that the conflict in the Middle East exposes the paradox of French diplomacy, determined to play an important role on the international scene, yet increasingly constrained by forces it does not control.