Macron hosts Aoun, King Abdullah II in Paris on post-UNIFIL Lebanon security plan

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Jordan's King Abdullah II in Paris, alongside army chiefs from Lebanon, Jordan, the UK and France and senior US officials, for a technical military meeting aimed at producing an operational plan to deploy the Lebanese Armed Forces in the south and design a successor force to UNIFIL, whose mandate ends December 31, 2026 followed by a one-year drawdown.

Why this matters. The talks will determine whether an international force or Lebanon's underfunded army fills the security vacuum in south Lebanon after UNIFIL withdraws, directly affecting enforcement of Hezbollah disarmament commitments and risk of renewed Israel-Hezbollah clashes.