Lebanon’s interim prime minister has appealed in Paris for backing for his country’s army, which would help secure any truce, but a low-level US presence at the meeting in France, along with an approaching US election, have dampened expectations for a quick end to combat.
Some 70 government delegations and 15 international organizations convened in Paris to raise at least 500 million euros ($540 million) in humanitarian supplies and urge for a cease-fire, but with the US focused on its own efforts, diplomats predict little tangible progress.
“The storm we are currently witnessing is unlike any other, because it carries the seeds of total destruction, not only for our country but for all human values as well,” Lebanon’s Najib Mikati told delegates.
Mikati stated that foreign assistance would be required to strengthen the army, including fresh recruits, and to reconstruct the country’s shattered infrastructure.
France has historical ties to Lebanon and has been negotiating with Washington to achieve a cease-fire. But, after Israel rejected a 21-day truce offer in September, Paris’ influence has been limited since Israel unleashed its massive assault on southern Lebanon, killing over 2,000 people and displacing at least 1.2 million.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who missed the Paris summit, resumed his tour of the Middle East in a final push for peace before next month’s US election, while regional giant Saudi Arabia, which has been hesitant to participate in Lebanon, dispatched a junior minister.
Neither Israel, whose Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has condemned the plan, nor Iran were invited.
Also Read: Why Lebanon’s Economy is Bound to Decline Amid Israel’s Escalation of Conflict
