For once, it's not customary. Emmanuel Macron is often in the habit of temporizing before making a foreign trip, as seen in three years of war in Ukraine after Russia's invasion, or in Israel following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. But he didn't hesitate to visit Lebanon, on Friday, January 17, less than ten days after the election of a new president, Joseph Aoun, at a time when the country is experiencing a fragile respite from the violence of the war between Israel and Hezbollah that started in the autumn. The war killed 4,000 people.

In Beirut, the French president intends to sustain the momentum perceptible since the ceasefire, which put an end on November 26 to the large-scale offensive launched by Israel against the Shiite movement, following the low-intensity war ignited after the deadly Hamas attack on October 7 and Hezbollah's support for the Palestinian movement.

"For us, it's a question of participating in what can be a new Lebanon," explained the Elysée before the trip, to "define with Lebanese leaders the means we have to help them consolidate the country's sovereignty, ensure its prosperity and maintain its unity." At the same time, the president is also keen to highlight France's role, alongside that of the US, in the initial stabilization of a country where its proactive approach had so far failed to move the lines, despite two visits in the wake of the Beirut port explosion in August 2020.

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