French defense chief in Lebanon, pledges more support to military
Sebastien Lecornu's visit came two weeks following the killing of an Irish UNIFIL soldier as his convoy came under attack. A suspect is now in custody
French defense minister Sebastien Lecornu concluded a two-day-visit to Beirut on Tuesday in which he met Lebanese counterpart Maurice Sleem, and offered support to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) during Beirut's financial crisis and presidential vacuum.
The meeting also included Anne Grillo, the French ambassador to Lebanon. The delegation conveyed a message from French President Emmanuel Macron to create a program of military cooperation between the two countries and boost support to the Lebanese Army, Lebanon's national news agency reported.
France has been among the main supporters of the Lebanese army and has launched previous initiatives to ramp up aid amid the country’s worsening economic and political crisis. In 2018, France provided $17 million worth of aid to the Lebanese army, Reuters reported.
During his visit, Lecornu stressed the importance of electing a president and referred to an incident on Saturday when a boat carrying migrants capsized on Lebanon’s northern coast, killing two while 200 others were rescued. It was carrying refugees from Syria and 50 Lebanese. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon [UNIFIL] confirmed in a tweet its role alongside the Lebanese army in the rescue mission.
