French President Macron visits Lebanon amid hopes for reconstruction.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beirut, Lebanon, on January 17th for a visit aimed at demonstrating Paris's support for the country's new leadership as they face the task of ending years of economic instability, exacerbated by the recent war.

Macron will meet with his counterpart Joseph Aoun, who was elected president on January 9th after more than two years of the top leadership position being vacant.

According to a statement from the French Presidential Palace before Macron's arrival, the visit aimed to "help" Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam "strengthen Lebanon's sovereignty, ensure prosperity and maintain national unity."

France has a special relationship with Lebanon after governing the country for two decades following World War I.

Hope for peace

Macron is also expected to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Beirut as the deadline for the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and Israel on January 26 approaches.

This agreement, brokered by France and the United States in November 2024, aimed to end months of conflict and saw Israeli troops advance into southern Lebanon.

According to the agreement, the Lebanese army has 60 days to deploy alongside UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw, a task they must complete by the end of January.

Hezbollah, for its part, must withdraw its forces to positions north of the Litani River, about 30 km from the border, and remove any military infrastructure that remains in southern Lebanon.

Since the agreement was signed, France, the US, and Saudi Arabia have helped facilitate the election of a new president and prime minister in Lebanon amid political deadlock.

Analysts suggest that the new elections were able to take place partly because Hezbollah, a major political force in the country, had been weakened by the conflict.

Potential support from Saudi Arabia

Prior to the visit, Macron also spoke with the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Following the call on January 16, the French presidential palace said the two leaders had given "full support" for the formation of a "strong government" in Lebanon.

The new Lebanese government must "bring together Lebanon's diverse people, ensure compliance with the Israeli-Lebanese ceasefire, and implement necessary reforms for the prosperity, stability, and sovereignty of the nation," according to a statement from the French presidential palace.

Relations between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon have been turbulent in recent years due to a series of diplomatic incidents, but France has been working to regain Riyadh's support for Lebanon in recent months.

Among other things, French officials said they were optimistic that Saudi Arabia would provide funding and equipment to bolster the Lebanese military amid the new deployment.

Saudi Arabia has long been concerned about Hezbollah's strong presence in Lebanon, viewing the group as a proxy for its regional rival, Iran.