Preparations are increasing to hold a conference in support of the Lebanese Army, amid widespread political and media interest, under the auspices of the “International Quintet,” specifically France, and with the direct support of Egypt, which hosted the preliminary meeting in Cairo. The conference is scheduled to be held in Paris on March 5, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in addition to representatives of supporting countries.
Despite the positive formal nature of the meetings, the information circulating from the Cairo meeting does not indicate a major breakthrough. A clear international agreement has emerged regarding the Lebanese Army as the mainstay of Lebanon’s stability, and the importance of supporting it financially and logistically in light of the economic crisis and security pressures, especially on the southern front with Israel. The attendees stressed that supporting the army is a way to strengthen the state’s authority and impose its control over all Lebanese lands.
But this support was not offered without implicit political conditions, as some countries linked any continued assistance to a broader path related to strengthening “the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the state” and implementing the relevant international resolutions, in reference to the political aspect related to the role of the military institution in the next stage.
On the other hand, the Lebanese side, specifically the army leadership, presented its real needs, and stressed that what is required is not formal or limited support, but rather real empowerment that includes advanced military equipment, surveillance technologies, modern mechanisms and sustainable resources, to enable it to protect the borders, prevent intrusions, and enhance operational readiness, in addition to establishing internal stability in light of the deteriorating economic situation.
In this context, President Joseph Aoun chaired a security meeting at Baabda Palace devoted to following up on the results of the Cairo meeting, in the presence of Defense Minister Michel Mansi, Interior Minister Ahmed Al-Hajjar, Army Commander General Rodolphe Heikal, and Director General of the Internal Security Forces, Major General Raed Abdullah. During the meeting, the results of the preliminary meeting held in Cairo on February 24 were presented, where the army’s plan to impose state authority was presented and the needs of the two military institutions were determined.
However, writer and political analyst Ibrahim Bayram raises fundamental questions about the value of the conference. He believes that talking about supporting the army becomes meaningless if the military institution is effectively prohibited from establishing a simple military site within its territory or from installing points that support its defensive presence. He wonders: How can promises of support be combined with the reality of field restrictions that limit the army’s ability to fully carry out its tasks?
Bayram points out that previous aid did not reach the level of enabling the army to deter Israel or prevent it from imposing field events, as it was mostly limited to limited logistical or technical support that does not rise to the level of achieving an actual deterrent balance. He believes that preventing the army from establishing its positions or expanding its deployment harms its prestige, and even amounts to an insult, which raises a question about the seriousness of any international commitment to support it.
However, Bayram stresses that any real support for the military establishment remains an urgent national necessity, provided that it is actual support that enables it to carry out its full sovereign role, and not just a formal step that maintains the existing balances without fundamentally changing the power equation on the ground.
