France's Macron eyes defense deals, Lebanon support on Saudi state visit

French President Emmanuel Macron was due to arrive in Riyadh Monday for a state visit to Saudi Arabia that concludes on Dec. 4, with military deals and addressing geopolitical instability in the Middle East high on the agenda.

Macron will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a one-on-one dinner on Tuesday. The meeting's priorities include increasing support for the Lebanese army’s deployment in the south of the country under the Hezbollah-Israel truce. Macron will also seek political and financial support for reconstruction in Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been fighting Israeli forces for two months and exchanging near daily cross border attacks since October 2023. The World Bank estimates the conflict has cost Lebanon’s economy some $8.5 billion.

Macron told reporters before his trip that he would look to “significantly strengthen the economic partnership that exists between our two countries.”

The French leader’s schedule includes high-level meetings and visits to the Riyadh Metro and the Saudi-French Economic Forum as well as cultural sites in which France is heavily involved, including AlUla and Diriyah. Macron is expected to visit the Metro’s line 4, built by French companies Alstom, Egis and Transdev. The first part of the Riyadh metro officially opened on Sunday.