Macron invites Lebanese president to discuss military aid before eighth round talks

In a letter addressed to President Joseph Aoun, French President Emmanuel Macron has invited the Lebanese head of state to Paris for a pre‑conference meeting on 17 September. The session will set the stage for an international summit that will examine ways to provide equipment, training and logistical assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces.

The invitation arrives as the trilateral dialogue among Lebanon, Israel and the United States remains at a standstill. No firm timetable has been announced for the eighth round of negotiations, which leaves the cease‑fire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops in limbo.

While in Rome, President Aoun will meet Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a possible participant in the monitoring of a proposed demilitarised buffer zone in the south.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told a U.S. task‑force delegation that Washington is the only nation capable of applying sufficient pressure on Israel to stop its operations and compel a return to the internationally recognised border.

France’s effort is positioned as a dual strategy: to upgrade Lebanon’s defence posture and to reaffirm the nation’s sovereignty over its contested southern frontier, even as diplomatic talks remain stalled.