France, other nations pledge massive package to support Lebanon

Associated Press Paris: France pledged to provide a 100-million euro ($108-million) package to support Lebanon at an international conference Thursday, as President Emmanuel Macron said “massive aid” is needed to support the country where war between Hezbollah militants and Israel has displaced a million people, killed over 2,500, and deepened an economic crisis. French organisers hope the Paris conference, which gathered over 70 nations and international organisations, will raise enough money to provide the USD 426 million in humanitarian aid the United Nations says is urgently needed.

“In the immediate term, massive aid is needed for the Lebanese population, both for the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the war and for the communities hosting them,” Macron said in his opening speech at the conference. Germany pledged a total of 96 million euros in humanitarian aid to both Lebanon and neighbouring Syria, also deeply affected by escalating violence in the Middle East. Italy this week announced an additional 10 million euros ($10.8 million) in aid for Lebanon. But experts warn that delivering aid could be challenging as Lebanon's growing dependence on the informal and cash economy increases lack of transparency and corruption risks.

The Paris conference also aims at coordinating international support to strengthen Lebanon's armed forces so they can deploy in the country's south as part of a potential deal to end the war. Such a deal could see Hezbollah withdraw its forces from the border. This support to the Lebanese military includes “helping with health care, fuel, small equipment, but also supporting the plan to recruit at least 6,000 additional soldiers and to enable the deployment of at least 8,000 additional soldiers in the south,” Macron said. Paris also seeks to help restore Lebanon's sovereignty and strengthen its institutions. The country, where Hezbollah effectively operates as a state within a state, has been without a president for two years while political factions fail to agree on a new one. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a pre-recorded video, called on Lebanon's leaders “to take decisive action to ensure the proper functioning of state institutions in order to meet the country's urgent political and security challenges”. Acting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged the international community to take action. The International Organisation for Migration has said about 800,000 people are displaced, with many now in overcrowded shelters, while others have fled across the border into Syria. Mikati on Thursday estimated the number of displaced people is over 1.4 million, including 500,000 children.